Salem Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church at E. Main and Market Streets in

Salem, Virginia Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combin ...

. It was built in 1851–1852, and is a Greek Revival style temple form church. It has a slightly projecting

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

in antis with belfry. an
''Accompanying photo''
/ref> The church owned the

Salem Presbyterian Parsonage Salem Presbyterian Parsonage, also known as the Old Manse, is a historic parsonage associated with Salem Presbyterian Church and located at Salem, Virginia. The core section was built in 1847, and is a two-story, central passage plan, brick I-h ...

from 1854 to 1941.

History

The church currently sits on the land formerly owned by Benjamin Faris. When the county was formed, the newly installed justices were empowered to choose a time and place for holding their first court. "The time chosen was May 21, 1838; the place, Benjamin Fairs' tavern, where the Salem Presbyterian Church stands today." "In 1831 Salem Presbyterian Church was organized with the remaining members from Ebenezer and Catawba churches."

Elijah McClanahan Elijah McClanahan (April 20, 1770 – December 1, 1857) (aka Elijah McClanachan; McClanechan, etc.) was a noted planter and soldier in western Virginia and the Roanoke Valley. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 5th/121st Virginia Militia in the War ...

was an early member of the congregation. "He was also among the trustees chosen at the founding of the town of Salem, among the founding elders of Salem Presbyterian Church, and one of the largest landholders in the county." Wildwood Presbyterian Church came from the Salem Church. "The church was originally a chapel of Salem Church and was organized separately in 1954."

Construction

"The master builder has not been determined but it seems likely that it was

Benjamin Deyerle Benjamin Deyerle (1806–1883) was an architect, artist and brickmaker in Roanoke County, Virginia. Many of the historic homes, churches and public buildings in Roanoke were designed and built under his and his family's direction. He is credited w ...

who built many of the finer Greek Revival plantation houses in the area. The church's woodwork is attributed to Gustavia D. Sedon (

Gustave A. Sedon Gustave A. Sedon (c. 1820 – April 5, 1893), also known as Gustavus Sedon, was a carpenter and craftsman in nineteenth century Roanoke, Virginia. He is noted for his work on various public buildings, plantation homes, and university structures. ...

), a well-known Roanoke County carpenter. Most of the architectural details are based on plates in ante-bellum builders' handbooks such as those of Asher Benjamin and Owen Biddle, Jr." The Presbyterians organized in Salem in 1831. The local congregation outgrew their original church and began construction of the present building in 1851. Dedication services for the new building were held August 8, 1852. The church was built primarily with slave labor, and its bricks were burnt on the site. Its approximate cost was $4,500.00, and the entire amount was paid before the dedication service." Originally, the only illumination for the sanctuary were two four-branched candelabras on either side of the pulpit. These were later replaced by oil lamps that were used until electrical wiring was installed. Two wood burning stoves, one each placed on the eastern and western walls, were used to keep the building warm. Firewood was placed against the wall inside the church to be used for stoking when the wood in the stove burned down during services.Hoffer, Frank William
Presbyterian Churches of Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Va: Economy printing Company, 1938. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It is located in the Downtown Salem Historic District.

References

Bibliography

* Couper, William
History of the Shenandoah Valley
Vol. 11 ( N. Y., 1952). * Gresham, Le Roy, William Hervey Woods, Bessie Johnston, Jessie Rhett, Robert E. Lee, and Bessie Johnston
Papers of Le Roy Gresham
1780. Abstract: Papers including bound volume of manuscript poems by the Reverend William Hervey Woods; diary of Miss Bessie Johnston on a trip to Europe, 3 vols., 1872-73; diary of Miss Jessie Rhett of Mount Washington near Baltimore, 1895; two letterbooks of Le Roy Gresham, pastor of Chapel Hill, N.C. and later of Salem, Va., Presbyterian Church; 20 letters and notes of the Johnston family of Winchester, Va., 1862-97 including photostat of letter of Robert E. Lee to Bessie Johnston, 23 August 1869. * Harvey, Collier S
Prelude to the Present
Salem, Va: Salem Presbyterian Church, 1981. "Printed as a part of the observance of the 150th anniversary." * Roanoke's Architecture, unpublished catalogue of an architectural exhibit held in 1969, in archives of Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission.
Salem Presbyterian Church (Salem, Va.)
Salem Presbyterian Church; 2003 Directory. lace of publication not identified lan Mills 2003. * Salem Presbyterian Church (Salem, Va.)
Church Records, 1831-1967
irginia? astern Microfilm? 1968. * Tingalia, Cathy. "Salem and the Salem Presbyterian Church," unpublished ms, in the archives of Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission. * Wildwood Presbyterian Church (Salem, Va.)
Church Records, 1954-1966
irginia? Eastern Microfilm, 1967.

External links

Salem Presbyterian Church, 41 East Main Street, Salem, Salem, VA
1 photo and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Buildings Survey {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Presbyterian churches in Virginia Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Greek Revival church buildings in Virginia Churches completed in 1851 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States Buildings and structures in Salem, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Virginia Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Virginia 1851 establishments in Virginia