"First United Methodist Church"

    

     In 1833, the Methodist Foreign Missionary Society sent several missionaries to the Salem area to preach the gospel to the native Indian people.  A year later Jason Lee arrived and set up a site ten miles north of Salem.  In 1841,  the missionaries moved to Salem and David Leslie became their pastor.  They served 12 different places in Oregon until 1844.  In 1852,   the First Methodist Episcopal church built a small building on the corner of church and state streets.  This was the first First Methodist church east of the Rockies.  They quickly grew out of this church and in 1870 they began building the present structure.  Due to financial difficulties, the church wasn't finished until 1878.  The building cost 45,000dollars to make.  Since then,  several additions and repairs have been made to the church.  In 1983,  the church was declared a historic building.

Schulbach, Harriet and Jean Hand.  "First United Methodist Church." Salem Online History Project.  8 Jul. 2003 <http://www.salemhistory.net/places/pumc01.htm>.