Salem Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Red River County, in the rural community of Boxelder, there's a church with roots that go back farther than most anything else standing in those parts. The year was 1856.

The Reverend Thomas Wilson Anderson, born in 1815, gathered twelve charter members together and organized Salem Baptist Church. Twelve people. That's it.

That's where it started. Now, you might not think twelve sounds like much, but those twelve were the seed of something that's still growing today. The first church building stood northeast of Boxelder, and for years the congregation worshipped there, putting down roots in that red dirt country.

Then by 1871, they moved to the location where the church stands now. That move wasn't the end of the growth, not by a long stretch. Come 1918, the church had risen to a two-story structure, and the local Woodmen of the World chapter was holding their meetings up on that upper floor.

Think about that, a church building tall enough and sturdy enough to be the heartbeat of the whole community, body and spirit alike. Then in 1945, the congregation built the current structure, and it's that building that greets you today. All through those years, from those first twelve members forward, Salem Baptist Church has been the focal point of the Boxelder community.

Members have ministered to the sick and the needy, and kept their eyes turned outward toward missions beyond their own doorstep. The Reverend Anderson passed in 1890, but what he set in motion in 1856 never did stop moving. Salem Baptist Church is still a spiritual leader in Boxelder.

Twelve members. One vision. Still standing.

What the marker says

In 1856, the Rev. Thomas Wilson Anderson (1815-1890) organized Salem Baptist Church with twelve charter members. The first church building was located Northeast of Boxelder; by 1871, the congregation had moved to this location. By 1918, the church had a two-story structure and the local Woodmen of the World chapter met on the upper floor. The congregation built the current structure in 1945. From its early years, the church served as the focal point of the rural Boxelder community. Members have ministered to the sick and needy of the area, and have also focused on missions. Today, Salem Baptist Church continues to be a spiritual leader in Boxelder. (2009)