William Jennings Bryan Boyhood Home

Owned and operated by the City of Salem, Illinois, this home was constructed in 1852 for Illinois State Senator Silas Bryan. In 1860, Silas’ son William Jennings Bryan was born in this home. William Jennings Bryan later donated this home to the City of Salem in the early 1900s intended to be come a museum.

William Jennings Bryan was a three-time nominee for president by the Democratic Party, a leader in the Prohibition movement, and argued the state’s case in The Scopes Trial.