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Major Building Projects
Although the congregation began meeting in 1819, Salem's church building was not erected until 1847.
Vestibule and Church Organ
Since being rebuilt in 1893, the church has undergone many repairs and renovations. The first that altered the external appearance of the church was the vestibule, built in 1954 by Jesse Green. In March 1959, during the pastorate of Rev. John W. Schildt, a new church organ was dedicated by the Conference Superintendent.
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Educational Building
In July 1967, construction began on a two-story educational building, which contains six classrooms, a secretary's office, restroom facilities, a kitchen, and large assembly area. Participating in the July 2, 1967 Ground Breaking Service were Dr. Clair C. Kreidler, Conference Superintendent; Rev. Herman J. Wiesner Jr., Salem Pastor; Francis C. Harshman, Chairman, Building Committee; Howard E. Brandenburg, President, Board of Trustees; Charles S. Martin, Sunday School Superintendent; Donald R. Stottlemyer, Youth Fellowship representative; Marvin L. Kline, representing the builder, Sherman Kline & Sons; and Frank Warrenfeltz, oldest male member. The contract was awarded to Sherman Kline and Sons who submitted the lowest bid of $29,050. Some inside work, such as painting and woodwork finishing, was excluded from the contract and was performed by members of the congregation. The Educational Building was dedicated on May 19, 1968, under the pastoral guidance of Rev. Robert E. Hawk, Salem Pastor, and Rev. Clair C. Kreidler, Conference Superintendent.
Parking Lot, Demolition of Wolfsville School, and Storage Building
A parking lot was made possible by the purchase, in 1959, of the old Wolfsville School property lying adjacent to the church grounds. The brick school building (with four grade-school classrooms on the main floor and an auditorium, stage and high school room on the lower level), opened in September 1915. After its purchase by the church in 1959 from the Frederick County Board of Education at a cost of $6,795, (sealed bids were submitted and Salem was the highest bidder), the old school was used for various church activities, such as the church's first Lord's Acre Festival in 1960. But the building was deteriorating and it was demolished and the site cleared in April 1969, to make way for a new parsonage. Before demolition, the school's chalkboards were removed and were installed in classrooms throughout Salem's educational building. In 1971, a storage building was erected behind the church and educational building. All of the work was done by church members.
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Parsonage
In 1974, a colonial-style parsonage, which includes a pastor's study, living room, dining room, kitchen, five bedrooms, two full baths, and a full basement, was also erected on the old Wolfsville School property. The project began with a Ground Breaking Service on July 14, 1974, conducted by Rev. Stewart Crank, Pastor. Those breaking ground were Charles S. Martin, Administrative Board Chairman; George Harne, Building Committee Chairman; Dwight Morgan, builder; Richard Martin, Co-chair of Building Committee and Trustee; Lawrence Kline, Trustee; Dick Kline, Trustee; Frank Warrenfeltz, Trustee; and Bob Metzer, Trustee. A contract was awarded to Dwight Morgan to complete the first phase of the building which put the parsonage under roof and completed the outside. The inside work was done by members of the congregation and subcontractors. The parsonage was completed in 1975, and houses the full-time pastor assigned to Salem Church.
History of the Parsonage Trees
In February 2008, three maple trees were removed from the parsonage front yard due to their deteriorating condition. According to a lifelong Wolfsville resident, the trees were planted in 1917 by Charles L. Leatherman who served as Principal and high school teacher of the Wolfsville School, the site of Salem's parsonage. In the early spring of 1917, with his horse, Colonel, hitched to the spring wagon, Mr. Leatherman drove out to the mountain, where he selected a dozen young maple trees. He planted eight of them on the school grounds, six shading the pavement along the road and one on either side of the front walk leading to the school entrance. With one of the saplings, he dropped in a few coins for good luck. He planted the others on the front lawn of his home north of the village.
More Recent Additions & Renovations
In 1980, a sound system was installed in the church. In 1984, a new Yamaha piano was purchased for the sanctuary. In 1985, a cassette deck was installed to tape record the worship services. In 1986, the kitchen in the educational building was renovated, new appliances were purchased, and a new curb and sidewalk were constructed in front of the parsonage.
In 1988, the sanctuary hardwood floors were refinished and new carpet was installed. In 1990, a new historical cabinet was completed.In 1991, ceiling fans were installed in the sanctuary, a new outdoor bulletin board was erected, and new shrubbery was planted.
In 1992, a new organ was purchased. In 1993, new hymnals were added, the pews were upholstered, new vinyl flooring was installed in the educational building, and the parking lot was enlarged and repaved. In 1998, new pew Bibles and racks were added and the parking lot was enlarged again.
In 2000, central air conditioning was installed in the sanctuary.
In 2002, another major project added a three-stop elevator, a handicap restroom, storage rooms, water fountain, enlarged coat rack, and new flooring for the kitchen, social room, and hallway in the educational building.
In 2003, the church steeple and belfry were completely renovated.
In 2004, the exterior of the church and educational building were painted.
In 2006, marble window sills were installed in the sanctuary in memory of Frank V. Stottlemyer, Sr., and electronic equipment was purchased for use in the new Sunday morning contemporary worship service which began in January 2007.
In 2007, the interior of the sanctuary was painted with new colors (shades of beige), and a new stained glass window was installed, above the doors leading to the vestibule, in memory of Brian Lee Stottlemyer. Also, the parking lot was enlarged, adding 26 more parking spaces, and the existing lot was resurfaced and striped.
In January 2008, Triad Construction Services, Inc., Rockville, MD, began work on structural repairs and renovations beneath the sanctuary floor. The contractor cut through the foundation wall at the rear of the building, making a new basement entrance for access to the area beneath the sanctuary floor. For two weeks, workers removed dirt from the basement area (which was largely a crawl space), and turned it into a basement with a five-foot eight-inch clearance. The basement was dug by hand, assisted by an electric jackhammer, and the dirt was removed, bucket by bucket and loaded onto a dump truck. The basement was given a crushed stone floor with drain tile beneath it. Footers were poured to set upright reinforcements and lumber was used for structural support of the sanctuary floor. Triad Construction also repaired six Sunday School classroom walls which were damaged by dampness. The old drywall, studding and insulation were removed, the concrete block walls were pargeted and waterproofed; new studding, insulation, and drywall were installed, and the entire rooms were repainted.
In June-July 2008, the parsonage was renovated. Nearly all the work was done by Salem volunteers, except for refinishing the hardwood floors and the kitchen cabinets. More than 46 Salem members and friends used their skills and abilities to spackle, sand and paint ceilings and walls, hang new storm doors, replace light fixtures, clean and polish the woodwork and doors, lay floor tile, install vinyl flooring, install new bathroom vanity tops, fixtures and toilets, complete plumbing hookups, replace carpet in three rooms, seal and paint basement walls, and other outdoor work.
In May 2009, a new refrigerator and freezer were purchased for the church kitchen.
In July-August 2009, Harne Plastering Company of Union Bridge, MD, renovated the stucco on the outside front walls of the church sanctuary. They removed the old deteriorating stucco, exposing the thick stone wall which had not been seen by any current members. When uncovered, it was obvious by the small size of the stones and gaps between them that the original builders in the mid 1800s always intended to have stucco as the finishing surface. Harne Plastering proceeded to finish the job by applying three coats of new stucco. According to a Frederick News-Post article, published while the project was ongoing, Harry Harne Jr. said, "I'm finding bits of bone and glass and all kinds of aggregate." He also found horse hair and twigs among the stones. He said the church is a "very interesting building with an interesting history, and it's an honor to help restore it."
In September 2009, Traid Construction Services, Inc., Rockville, MD, constructed a new concrete floor under the church sanctuary, covering the existing crushed stone floor. A vapor barrier was placed under the concrete and floor drains were tied into the existing drain system. This work was necessary to reduce the moisture accumulating in the basement area.
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