New Salem
Ghost town · Simpson County, Kentucky

New Salem is a ghost town in Simpson County, Kentucky. It is one of 15 former communities in Simpson County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 30th among the 101 Kentucky counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists New Salem as a historical populated place on the Auburn topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 36.7928° N, 86.6546° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Auburn |
|---|---|
| Nearest living town | Auburn, KY |
| Distance to it | 5.8 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 2742861 |
| Coordinates | 36.79276, -86.65458 |
What's there now
New Salem is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Auburn, KY (population 1,715), about 5.8 miles away in a straight line. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Prospect Hillghost town · Simpson County · 1.5 mi
- Knobsghost town · Simpson County · 2.4 mi
- Bethel Groveghost town · Simpson County · 2.6 mi
- Auburnghost town · Simpson County · 2.9 mi
- Locust Groveghost town · Simpson County · 3.6 mi
- Sylvanghost town · Simpson County · 3.8 mi
- Friendshipghost town · Logan County · 4.6 mi
- Stevensonghost town · Simpson County · 5.2 mi
- Pilot Knobghost town · Warren County · 5.5 mi
- Black Jack Roadghost town · Simpson County · 6.4 mi
- Old Zionghost town · Warren County · 6.4 mi
- Oak Ridgeghost town · Simpson County · 6.5 mi
Questions
Where is New Salem?
New Salem is in Simpson County, Kentucky, at 36.7928, -86.6546.
How many ghost towns are in Simpson County?
Simpson County, Kentucky has 15 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.