Evangelical Circuit Riders visited this area in the 1830’s, bringing the Word of God to German-speaking settlers. In 1845, a regular place of worship was needed, and a log meeting house was built near this location at "Indian Bush." In 1854, a Sunday School was organized and met there or in nearby homes. Prominent family names in the early church included Kuenzli, Walter, Failor, Blaser, Paulin, and Knoble. The present church structure, a simple barn-frame building completed in 1861, was used by the congregation then known as the Salem Evangelical Church. Through later mergers, the church became the Evangelical United Brethren and finally the United Methodist Church. The bell and tower were added in 1906, and other improvements were made over the years. In 2001, a structural failure caused the building to close, and the small congregation merged with Union United Methodist Church two and a half miles north. In 2002, three former members formed the Friends of Salem Church Foundation, which completed repairs that made the building suitable again for use as a place of worship.