History of Salem Church
Chapter 2. Church Building Constructed in 1847
John and Susannah Hoover’s house and barn served as places of worship for the Salem congregation until 1847, when the Hoovers donated the land to build Salem Church.
The church building, a simple rectangular structure with thick stone walls and a steeple, is the same building used today as Salem’s sanctuary. The building was erected during the pastorate of Rev. J. J. Glossbrenner, who later became a bishop of the denomination.
The interior of the building looked somewhat different than it does today. The choir loft was not a raised area. Heat was supplied by two wood-burning stoves located at the front of the church, one on each side. In the winter, the congregation sat in the front to stay warm by the stoves. Light was provided by oil lamps that hung from the ceiling.
An altar was crafted about 1848 by James Aaron Grove for Salem Church. This piece is used today as a welcome center. (A duplicate was also made for St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Wolfsville.)
On the outside, there was no vestibule or educational building. And since members of the congregation either walked to church or came by horse and buggy, hitching posts were located along the south side of the building and on the other side of the road, with a watering trough to water the horses.
On November 29, 1853, Salem’s first Board of Trustees was formed. This group, which was responsible for the maintenance of the church building and property, included A. F. Rider, Daniel W. Blickenstaff, John Miller, Charles Miller, John Hoover, Samuel Hoover, and H. H. Mullen.
According to early Salem Board of Trustee records, the church building underwent repairs during the summer of 1871 (the kind of which are not described) at a total cost of $904.99. To pay for the repairs, it was necessary to borrow $25.00 from John D. Brandenburg. Three trustees signed the note which was paid back with interest.
In June of 1892, the Board of Trustees agreed to sell a strip of land off of the church yard, containing 7 square perches, to J. H. Maugans for the sum of $10. The buyer was required to pay all conveyance expenses and make a fence on the property line.
According to “The Catoctin News,” a weekly newspaper published in Wolfsville, in 1888, Rev. Lesler, a returned missionary from Africa, preached and exhibited relics and gods from Africa. The Sunday School was organized and the following officers elected for the ensuing year. Cyrus O. Blickenstaff, Superintendent; Rev. Isacc Lovell, Assistant Superintendent; C. C. Stotelmyer, Secretary; Joshua Hoover, Treasurer; and Harry G. Maugans, Librarian.
The church made arrangements for the use of an organ for the summer of 1889. Miss Gertrude Hoover was the organist. While the bell on the church was being rung on Sunday morning (July 1888), a bolt, which held the bell in place, broke, so the bell could not be rung for the evening service.
In May 1890, during a storm, lightning struck a tree in the church yard and also the church, splintering the cupola post and shattering several window panes. Also, a stone pavement was laid in front of the church.
Church Rebuilt 1893
In 1893, Salem Church was rebuilt, just forty-six years following the original construction in 1847. The Valley Register, a weekly newspaper that covered the Middletown Valley, reported that the roof was taken off, seats and windows taken out, walls rebuilt, and steeple and outside woodwork repainted.
According to the September 8, 1893, edition of “The Frederick News,” John Henry Maugans, a well-known merchant of Wolfsville, donated to the congregation the 600 pound bell which was placed in the belfry of the newly rebuilt church.
In November 1893, the new church was dedicated with special services in the morning and afternoon. This project cost $1,600 besides the material in the old church and much labor donated by members. All the money was raised through the personal efforts of the pastor, Rev. G. W. Kiracofe. Recognition of this reconstruction project is expressed on a plaque located on the front of the present church building.
In 1894, a three-week revival meeting saw sixteen conversions, standing-room-only crowds, and twelve new Salem members.
In March 1894, Salem decided to purchase its first burying ground (cemetery land) from John W. Hoover. The cost of the one-fourth acre was $13.75. According to trustee records, John Hoover donated $3.75 toward the purchase. Four years later in 1898, the first two burial lots were sold for $5.00 each, one to Harry B. Gilbert and the other to Chester Brandenburg. In future years, burial lots continued to sell for $5.00 each.
In February 1904, the trustees were authorized to hire a church sexton at $1.00 a month. Included in the sexton’s duties was digging graves — $1.00 to dig a child’s grave and up to $3.00 to dig an adult one (the price was charged in proportion to the size of the adult). Six years later, Daniel P. Warrenfeltz was hired as sexton at the same salary level.
In June 1906, the trustees selected C. C. Stottlemyer as their attorney to handle a legacy of $96.00, left to the church by John H. Maugans and they deposited the money in the Flook Gaver Leatherman Bank in Myersville.
In 1908, the church underwent numerous repairs inside and out, and carpet was installed over the pulpit and altar area, extending to the front seats and down the aisle.
August 3, 1917 – This week marks the beginning of the fourth year of World War I. A patriotic service was held in the United Brethren Church at Wolfsville, Sunday afternoon. Patriotic hymns were sung and there were recitations by Gladys Hoover and Florence Blickenstaff. Rev. Dr. George A. Snyder, of Middletown, delivered an excellent sermon. The church was decorated with bunting and flags.
In September 1919, according to old Board of Trustee records, the trustees decided to use the collection from Salem’s centennial celebration in the Hoover Barn to put a concrete wall under the fence in front of the church, and they employed Wade H. Wolf to do the job.
In June 1921, the trustees decided to buy additional cemetery land from Noah Delauter and they accepted Mr. Delauter’s selling price of $300. The following year, the trustee president named a committee to make arrangements to fence the ground that was bought for the cemetery. The committee consisted of Ary Kline, Glen Delauter, S. M. Blickenstaff, Harry Eccard, C. C. Stottlemyer, Russell Harshman, and Sherman Kline.
In February 1925, the trustees appointed a committee to make arrangements to repair the cemetery road with gravel. Committee members were Adam B. Martin, Ary Kline, Sherman Kline, Frank Warrenfeltz, Harry Eccard, and Emory Frey.
In May 1928, according to Adam B. Martin, Trustee Secretary, Wade H. Wolf was asked to remodel the front and rear of the church with metal shingles, patch the roof, and screen the windows.
In May 1935, the church decided to buy a lawn mower for use at the church at a cost of $5.40. The church also approved for Miss Evelyn Kline to go to Lebanon Valley College for Sunday School Teacher Training. The Sunday School paid the cost of $5.00 for her experience.
Electricity Comes to Wolfsville
The following information was taken from the diary of Salem member Cecil R. Martin, written by Cecil in 1937-1938.
In the spring of 1937, Wolfsville residents began to talk about when Potomac Edison would run their electric line from the village of Ellerton to Wolfsville. Cecil, who was a member of Salem’s Official Board, met with a Potomac Edison representative on April 22, 1937, who said the “light line” is coming to Wolfsville. In fact, it was scheduled to go as far as the Lutheran Church.
Three months later, in July 1937, Wolfsville residents, businesses, and churches were deciding whether to install electric lights and connect to the Potomac Edition wires. The first Wolfsville resident to connect was Asa Stotelmyer.
Salem’s pastor, Rev. Fair, and Salem’s Official Board had discussed whether or not to have electric lights installed in the church at their April 7, 1937, meeting, and again on July 18, 1937. At the July meeting, the Board made a decision not to install electric lights in the church. The reason being “the church is far behind with its current expenses and cannot afford to take upon itself this additional expense.”
Eight months later, in March 1938, Salem’s Official Board decided to serve as a committee to solicit money for installing electric lights in the church. At this point, Salem was the only church in Wolfsville without electric lights. On one day, within 3 hours, their solicitation efforts yielded $38. The largest contribution was $10, with others ranging $5 or less. Total cost of the project was estimated at $50 or $60. Solicitation for additional money continued, hoping to have the lights ready for use by Easter.
With about half of the money either in hand or promised, the Board decided in late March 1938, to have Asa Stotelmyer do the wiring. Asa offered to do his part of the work free but the church was determined to give him something. The next decision was the type of light shades to purchase. The group decided on shades (stained glass globes), six of them, which must be specially ordered, will retail for $12 each; although Asa is only charging the church half that amount. The six lights would hang from the ceiling by chain hangers. Also purchased were cable, switches, meter box, and the chain hangers.
At the next Board meeting on April 10, 1938, it was decided to borrow enough money out of the Sunday School treasury to finish paying for the electric light job when it is finished; and to ask the Christian Endeavor Society (youth group) to pay 50 cents a month toward the light bill. It appears the Christian Endeavor Society declined to pay, although they were the first group to make use of the electric lights in the church.
By mid April, 1938, the installation of wiring, switches, etc. were complete; as well as the ceiling lights, which used 300 watt bulbs. When describing the ceiling lights, Cecil’s diary entry on April 16, 1938, says the lighted globes “make a gorgeous appearance. They are truly one of the loveliest sights I have ever seen.”
Three weeks later, the inspector came to inspect the electric light system in the church and Asa had to make a number of changes before the inspector would approve the job.
On May 10, 1938, Asa presented his bill for the electric light job. The figures read $90.50, with $75.00 of that already paid. The bill was a few dollars higher than expected, so Cecil commented, “the church will need to get hold of some more money somewhere.”
On May 22, 1938, the church received its first electric bill. The Board seemed to think it was not at all too high.
In October 1939, a coal burning furnace was purchased for $244.71, from the Sheppard Store Company, Baltimore, to replace the wood stoves in the church. The wood stoves were sold for $10.00.
In 1940, the board authorized the addition of a choir loft in the church sanctuary. A Rededication Service was held August 23, 1942, for new woodworking and chancel furniture. It took four years of work to refurbish the church. The altar was dedicated to Mr. & Mrs. Harry Eccard and Family; and the altar Bible was dedicated to Mr. & Mrs. Emery and Preston Fry.
In April 1945, more cemetery land was purchased from Tennesan Hoover for $50 to what the old records characterize as “to straighten out the grave yard.” Additional fence was also added.
Painting of Jesus
The large painting of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane, which is mounted on the wall above the altar in Salem’s sanctuary, dates back to the late 1930’s. During the painting’s restoration in 1998, the painter’s signature, C. Guy Stambach, was revealed.
Former Salem pastor and history enthusiast, Rev. John W. Schildt, provided information about the painter, saying, “Dr. C. Guy Stambach was a noted pastor and artist in the former United Brethren and Evangelical United Brethren Church. He served pastorates from 1912 to 1960. Rev. Stambach was in Chewsville [serving the Bethel Church] from 1925 to 1928. I am aware of at least six churches where he painted pictures for the chancel area.”
Minutes from the Salem Board of Administration, dated July 10, 1948, indicate “The Women’s Sunday School Class, which collects the birthday funds, has purchased a large picture of Christ praying in Gethsemane at the cost of $105.00. It was unveiled and dedicated September 3, 1948, in memory of Carroll M. Kline, who lost his life in the war.”
While performing the painting’s restoration, Gray Robert Stephens, an art conservator, estimated the painting to be approximately 60 years old, which means the picture was painted in the late 1930’s. Mr. Stephens’ experience included restoration of paintings for the Smithsonian Institution and other churches throughout the country. (Mr. Stephens was a nephew of a Salem member at the time.)
Restoration was done onsite because it was felt too risky to remove the very large painting from the wall. The restoration included a thorough cleaning, filling of any voids such as chipped paint, re-color as necessary to match the original, and seal the painting. The restorer also repaired a tear which was caused by falling plaster many years ago. The work took about one week to complete and cost $4,700.