In 1807 a meeting was held around the area of what is now the Salem Cemetery. During this meeting the settlers founded the first Methodist church in Bell Buckle, which they named Salem Methodist Church. In 1875 the congregation moved into a brick church erected by the Reverend A.T. Crawford. In 1993 the congregation celebrated its 100th year anniversary.
Mrs. Locke has been a member of the church since 1919 and has many memories surrounding the Methodist Church. She fondly remembers a wonderful Sunday School class. She also remembers the fire which started in the pastor's office and burned the back of the church. In 1924 new Sunday school classrooms and a basement were added to the building. She said that the church has been a great foundation for her Christian life.
There have been 78 pastors of the Bell Buckle Methodist Church. The first was John Brookes and the most recent is Buddy Royston. Since Mr. Royston's arrival, the church has flourished and has made many improvements.
Two impressive features of the Bell Buckle Methodist Church are its magnificent stained glass windows and its pipe organ, a 1932 gift from Mr. Arch Latimer. When the organ was installed, two windows had to be sealed in the front of the church. To cover up the look of abandonment caused by the sealed windows, the Ten Commandments were carved and placed on the cement sealed windows. This makes a spectacular sight.
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