 On April 4, 1882, Salisbury was organized and chartered as a fourth-class city under Missouri laws.Early businesses included two hotels, a flour mill, three tobacco factories, three manufacturers of agricultural equipment and some forty other assorted merchants in the latter 19th century.Residents could visit the Salisbury Opera House, where the town's location on the Wabash rail line came into play, conveniently bringing in notable performers of the time.