Nathan Hill sign to West Salem will be put back by DOT

Hill named after Nathan Smith, escaped slave who lived in area.

WEST SALEM, Wis. — A historic marker in West Salem may finally get put back in place.

The sign marking Nathan Hill was moved during the recent reconstruction of Hwy. 16. When the West Salem Historical Society wanted to put it back, the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation said no.  

The group, however, persisted and now president Errol Kindschy says he’s been told the sign will be allowed to go back up.

It’s important, says Kindshy, as the site is where one of the first black men in the area, Nathan Smith, settled after escaping slavery in the 1860s.

“We want to make sure that he is not forgotten and … we want that marked to remember him,” Kindshy said.

The sign had been in place since the 1970s. The DOT originally resisted because the agency said paperwork for the sign’s original permit couldn’t be found.  

Among other notable historical connections, Smith fostered George Taylor, who would later be the first African-American to run for president in 1904.