William Jennings Bryan Birthplace

06/12/2026

“My how times have changed.” The Bryan statue, commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt honoring his personal friend stood in West Potomac Park, Washington, DC. It has graced the the Bryan Statue Garden and Hull’s Grove in the north east triangle of Salems Bryan Memorial Park since 1961. The devoted ladies of the Daffy Dill Garden Club go the extra mile to keep the gardens perfectly groomed. When you see them working, honk and give them a Thumbs Up…👍…or, you’d be welcome to stop and give them a hand. They definitely go the extra mile and could use the extra hands. Bryan’s statue, sculptured by Gutzler Borglum looks much better in Salem then it did in the Capital City. Just say’n!

06/08/2026

What a great day at the Bryan Birthplace. Beautiful day for people to be out. I really enjoy sharing the history of the Bryan home and the early families effort to help make Salem and the county of Marion what it is today. We owe a lot to the earliest families that took a ramshackle existence, turning it into the city it is today. The Bryan’s were educated and productive as were several of the early families. They also taught their children the value of physical labor. It’s an honor for the Salem Historic and Patriotic Commission to be able to offer both the W. J. Bryan Birthplace and the Salem Area History Museum as we attempt to both preserve and present our history for future generations. We are grateful for the encouragement you extend to both. Your outpouring of appreciation is much appreciate in return.

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

🇺🇸 Happy June 7th. 🇺🇸 Looking forward to welcoming guests to the Bryan Birthplace today. Our summer schedule is the first Sunday of each month, 12 Noon until 3. Pm. The gardens are blooming, fresh fruits of the garden are gathered and the house readied, the laundry and churning are underway for guests and a friendly welcome and smile. 🇺🇸

05/23/2026

Thanks to joint efforts with The Rusty Nail
and Carmen at Blooming Creations and her husband, the Bryan Birthplace has a new washing machine, so to speak. It started with the chain and wood agitator from the Rusty Nail and a vintage wood barrel acquired at Blooming Creation, the antique washing machine is a “must see!” This would have been most likely what Mariah used to launder the Bryan family wardrobe. One thing for sure, sure makes one appreciate automatic washers and dryers to say the least. Another great addition to the William Jennings Bryan Birthplace. One more project crossed off the list.

04/28/2026

There’s always something interesting going on at the William Jennings Bryan Birthplace, 408 S. Broadway, Salem, Il. The natural herbs used by Mariah Jennings Bryan while living there are coming along very well and the floral Twilight Prairie-blue Baptista located at the south end of the front porch is putting on a good show, loaded with beautiful blooms. I went down to check on it following last nights rain. The blooms though draping down a tad are still beautiful. This bush has always entertained well in the spring and this year is no exception. One cannot help but wonder after the torturous winter we had how it even survived. But it did. The blooms even look a bit more purple this year vs. blue; however, it’s still lovely. The white BeeGee historic peony will soon bloom, the hostas are good and Perennials and ferns along the 8 ft. allee bordering the homes north foundation look great as they hug the brick foundation. I always enjoy the simplicity of the Bryan yard and flowerbeds. Though simple in design, they historically reflect gardens of the 1850’s/60’s, those years when Silas had built the house to bring his new bride to. The south porch lattice will also return this spring, the doors and porches will be freshly painted and the rest of the shutters, now located in Louisville, KY are waiting to be picked up and painted. Yes! I did say Louisville, KY. That’s pretty much our summer 2026 projects. We will begin our Summer/Autumn tours the first Sunday of May from 12 O’Clock noon until 3:00 PM. We will keep you posted on our projects and we sure look forward to seeing our visitors return to the Birthplace. 🇺🇸🪻🌼🪻🌷💐🪻🇺🇸

04/11/2026

Additional pictures from today SCHS Private Tour scheduled each year in advance for the SCHS History Department. Hat’s off to a great group of young people and outstanding educators!

04/11/2026

Another wonderful turnout from SCHS History Dept. The classes have tours calendered each year for visits to the Birthplace and the Salem Area History museum. Thank you to their teachers for making the private tours part of the class’s education. We are happy to accommodate you. The Iuka Grade School has also booked tours that will include the One Room School located on the SCHS campus in May. We love reaching out to the schools.

04/05/2026

Just a reminder the William Jennings Bryan Birthplace will not be open today in order to honor the Easter Celebration. The museum was honored yesterday to have a private tour with an out of town guest back in town visiting family and friends in Salem. It was a great tour. They were impressed with the major improvements to Bryan’s gift to the city, a comment Jim &I hear often. We appreciate all the positive encouragement the birthplace receives from our community visitors and those from out of town that follow us on the web and the Wm. Jennings Bryan birthplace page. It helps us to press on. Enjoy your Easter celebration with family and friends. 🌷🐣🌷

03/22/2026

🇺🇸 What a great day and turnout we had at the Wm. Jennings Bryan Birthplace celebrating Bryan’s 166th Birthday. Born at 408 S. Broadway, March 19, 1860. The home originated as a subsistence farm owned and built by his father the Honorable Silas Lillard Bryan. As children came along, the house expanded from 2 rooms, into 7. Bryan lived in the birthplace until the family moved to their new brick home. He was 7 years old, built on a 600 acre farm in the NW corner of Salem. It was located at the end of the old Fredonia Rd. today named Bryan Lane. When Wm. J. moved there, his father referred to it as “the Avenue.” It home sat west of Vandalia Rd., today named N. Franklin Street. The home no longer stands. It was torn down c. 1940 following a fire that destroyed it. A new home was built many years later on the original foundation. The original bricks, made on site were used to build the circular driveway. The number of visitors attending was amazing, with many coming from long distances. The Historical and Patriotic Commission is well pleased with the great attendance on this sunny day. We will not be open tomorrow. We will begin our Spring, Summer and December holiday schedule in April. Thank you to all that attended making the commission effort a great success. Hats Off to Mark Larimer for leading out in this worthwhile endeavor. 🇺🇸🎩