Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and Salem Walker Cemetery
Historic Photo, sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing
Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and Salem Walker Cemetery — historic photograph, 1864, National Register of Historic Places filing, 7150 Angle Rd., Salem Township, Salem, Detroit
National Register of Historic Places Filing
The Salem Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1864, may be Michigan's least altered example of Greek Revival church architecture. Methodist circuit preachers began visiting Salem as early as 1834. Elder C. M. Anderson, who also ministered to South Lyon, Oakland County, established a Methodist class in Salem in 1863. On February 15, 1864, James B. Van Atta, Anthony M. Farley, Lorenzo D. Perkins, William Hollingshead, Ashley Root, John V. King, and John C. Ingalls, acting as trustees, purchased a half-acre of land for a church site from Carlisle and Mary A. Ham for five dollars. The 1881 History of Washtenaw County noted that "In 1864 the M~ E. church, in Salem, was dedicated, and the Church organization was perfected, with a membership of about 25 .... Previous to that time there had been a temporary Church organization and preaching at different points in the township .... " Services continued at what was later known as the "West Salem Church" until 1912.
Physical Description
The former Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and the adjacent Salem Walker Cemetery occupy a two-and-one-half-acre tract at the southeast corner of Angle and Tower roads in Salem Township, a formerly rural area at the western edge of the Detroit metropolitan area that is now seeing substantial suburban development. The church, a clapboarded, gable-roof building with a simple, square-plan, spireless belfry, has remained virtually unaltered since its construction in 1864. The Salem Walker Cemetery, fronted on the street sides by an ornamental iron fence dating from 1909, contains graves dating back to 1834.
Architect/Builder
Unknown
NRHP Ref# 92001054 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Historic Photos
(10)Sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing
Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and Salem Walker Cemetery — Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and Salem Walker Cemetery — historic photograph, 1864, National Register of Historic Places filing, 7150 Angle Rd., Salem Township, Salem, Detroit
Public Domain (Michigan Filing)
From Wikipedia
The Salem Methodist Episcopal Church (also known as the Salem Walker Church) and associated Salem Walker Cemetery is a historic church and cemetery located at 7150 Angle Road, in Salem Township, Michigan with a postal designation of Northville, Michigan. The church and cemetery were added to the National Register in 1992 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1991. The church is significant as one of the least-altered Greek Revival churches existing in the state of Michigan.
History
The first settlers in Salem Township arrived in 1825. The first burial in the Salem Walker Cemetery took place in 1834. The congregation of the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church formed in the mid-19th century, and met at various places in the township until the 25 members constructed a church adjacent to the cemetery in 1864. The congregation grew to about 60 by 1880, but later declined. Services continued at the church until 1912, after which the congregation abandoned it. In 1908, the Salem Walker Cemetery association founded to care for the cemetery and in 1930, it contacted the Methodist conference about purchasing the church. The next year, the Association purchased the church for $200. The church building is rented for weddings and other gatherings. In 2012, scenes for the movie The Five-Year Engagement were filmed at the church.
Description The Salem Walker Church is a single story Greek Revival structure built on a square plan and surmounted by a belfry. The nearby Salem Walker cemetery is enclosed by a 1909 ornamental fence.
References
Further reading Donald Riddering; Salem Area Historical Society (1992), Salem Walker Church and Cemetery: Michigan Historical Site, Issue 5630 - Issue 8 of Historical monograph, Salem Area Historical Society N. Chase Crowley II (2007), Inscriptions from Salem-Walker Cemetery: Association Owned, Situated at 7150 Angle Road at Tower Road in Section 9 of Salem Township
External links Salem Walker Church home page (with images) Salem Walker Cemetery tombstone images
Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Building Details
- Year Built
- 1864
- Address
- 7150 Angle Rd., Salem Township, Salem
- National Register
- Listed
- Ref# 92001054