Salem Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church was organized on June 19, 1836, by Rev. Henry Bryson, D.D., with 53 members. Its first house of worship was a log building on 4 acres donated by Abner Mathews. The first pastor, Rev. John Wilson, served from 1837 to 1865. After fostering at least five other churches, Salem came to be called a "mother of churches." The present sanctuary, erected in 1940, is the fourth building on this site, and the adjoining cemetery predates the church and contains graves of Indians and slaves.