This area, called Paugwonk by Indians living near Fairy Lake, was settled about 1700. It was named New Salem Parish by the landowner Colonel Samuel Browne from Salem, Massachusetts, in 1725. Sections of Colchester, Lyme, and Montville were incorporated into the Town of Salem in 1819. Many townsmen answered the Lexington Alarm and fought in the War of Independence. Music Vale Seminary was established in 1835 as the first school in the United States granting degrees to teachers of music. Prominent Salem residents included inventors, manufacturers of pianos and inks, authors, sculptors, explorers, missionaries, and a United States Senator.