The roots of the Town Council as a “Town Agency” predate 1970. By August 1995, there is reference in Board minutes to the “Council on Aging”. At that time, the Council requested authority to form a non-profit so that it could apply for a grant to fund the purchase of a van. The request was approved, and in 1995 the “Salem Council on Aging, Inc” was filed with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

The Non-Profit amended its filing with the Secretary of State to both add the phrase “Town of Salem” after the title, and to name the Board of Selectmen as the appointing authority in 1996. Thereafter, the Town and the Non-Profit moved forward with the unified purpose of supporting the senior citizens of the Town, including projects and programs related to the same.

In 2021, the Board of Selectmen deemed it necessary to reset the relationship. The Council Members at that time went about reorganizing the Salem Council on Aging, including revising its By-laws and reestablishing itself with the New Hampshire Secretary of State. In 2022, the new, Salem Council on Aging, Inc. emerged, set about filling its Board with interested and caring community citizens, and getting back to the business of its mission.