Old Salem Helps Today's Congregations Through Transitions

By Thelma Ballinger Boeder

The following are remarks Old Salem Trustee Thelma Ballinger Boeder, retired archivist of the Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church, shared at Mt. Bethel UMC on January 1, 2023.

I join you this morning on behalf of the Old Salem Shrine Committee, Old Salem also known as The Little White Church. How does your Mt. Bethel congregation relate to this Minnesota Conference historic site? We could start and end that conversation quickly with a couple of answers, but I want to expand further, briefly, and place Mt. Bethel in the larger evolution of United Methodist congregations nearby.

When Mt. Bethel began as a mission of the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1960, the congregation held its first service that year on June 26 at Old Salem Shrine, the Little White Church. That is the first obvious answer to your connection with the site. But why there?

The Salem congregation of the Evangelical Association of North America was special, the first congregation of the denomination organized in Minnesota, in March of 1857. The second was what is now Mounds Park UMC in St. Paul; those folks organized a week later. Salem congregation built its church in the mid-1870s and continued to function into the 20th century. Conference records list it officially closed in 1914, followed by an attempt to revive it as a mission a few years later. That failed. The building stood empty until 1937 when the Minnesota Conference of the Evangelical Church designated it as their one and only historic site and arranged for its ongoing care and occasional use.

I understand that Mt. Bethel may be nearing the end of its congregational existence, a major change and difficult, I am sure. That leads to another similarity with Old Salem. Salem was an active congregation nearly 60 years, Mt. Bethel, something over 60 years and almost exactly 100 years later. Could thinking about what was happening around the Salem community in its time offer some analogies to Mt. Bethel’s situation now?

Salem began as a German-speaking congregation in an area with enough German immigrants to sustain it. The Evangelical Association also had nearby work, congregations in St. Paul, the oldest being what is now Mounds Park UMC, and also what is now Faith UMC in West St. Paul. There were others, too, in the city. The German-speaking congregations of the Methodist Episcopal Church were even more numerous, one so close to Old Salem, that when it closed many members joined Salem MEC just up the road. In the city, what we know now as Fairmount Ave. UMC was the oldest and strongest of the German Methodist congregations. A half circle of seven German Methodist churches ringed the southern outskirts of the Twin Cities from Shakopee to Woodbury. Four are still active: Lydia, Rosemount, Salem (now Crossroads Salem), and Woodbury.

Times changed. Moving into the 20th century, population demographics, language shifts, better transportation, a major depression, two World Wars – some congregations grew or stayed steady and others declined. With growing suburbs after World War II in the 1950s, conference leaders decided it time to begin new congregations in places like Inver Grove. The Evangelical United Brethren Church actively began several new missions, one of which was Mt. Bethel. Others included Normandale-Hylands in Bloomington, Church of Peace in Richfield, Hope in Lake Elmo, and Bethany in Rochester.

Once more, circumstances changed. The Lake Elmo congregation discontinued in 1978 because the community did not grow as anticipated. Bethany closed its building just a few years ago in 2016 after concluding that it had completed its mission at that site to the best of its ability. Instead, the congregation merged with nearby Evangel UMC. Mt. Bethel also seems to be at a changing point.

I am an archivist and historian. I have documented many congregations, some of which go on for years and years and some less than ten. As I consider them, I believe that each has or had meaning; the people worshiped, they communed together, they touched each other’s lives and their communities. They belong to each other and the whole Christian community even in parting.

Places like The Little White Church, Old Salem, help us to remember these transitions. That is why we care for it and visit from time to time. It can trigger memories for anyone, but those of you in Inver Grove Heights and here at Mt. Bethel will always have that extra connection, knowing your first service in 1960 was held there. Remembering affirms the link from past to present. Now it is time for all of us to move into the future, even if we do not know yet how best to do that. We will find a way.

Shoreline Views Restored

The Trustees of Old Salem are grateful to Ethan Gregg, a member at Mt. Bethel UMC, for choosing to do his Eagle Scout project at Old Salem. Ethan led a work crew of scouts from Troop 507 to clear the church’s overgrown shoreline over one weekend in August.

Ahead of the weekend, Ethan secured approval from Scouts BSA for the project, recruited his crew, bought food and supplies, and secured discounted topsoil from his employer, Wagner Sod. When the crew arrived bright and early Saturday, August 13, with loppers, handsaw and rakes in hand, Ethan was ready to put them to work.

The first order of business was spreading a load of topsoil among the many low spots in the cemetery to prepare for reseeding. They made quick work of that portion of the project.

The daily team of about 10-12 people pulled weeds, trimmed trees and took out buckthorn along the hillside leading to the lake. It was tedious, back-breaking work, especially since the scouts were only allowed to use hand tools to do their work. An adult leader cut larger trees with a chainsaw. They accumulated heaping piles of brush and branches, which they loaded into the dump truck, a flatbed trailer and pickups for dumping at Gerten’s. After more than 100 hours of work and 3 dump trucks, 7 trailers and 4 pickup loads of brush were removed, we have views of the lake!

In addition to Ethan, his family and the scouts, the Trustees thank everyone who donated to cover the costs of the project, Wagner Sod for the topsoil and use of the dump truck, and Gerten’s for a discount on the disposal of a few loads of brush.

Author to Share Kochendorfer Story at Old Salem

Sunday, Sept. 18 at 3 PM
In-Person at Old Salem Shrine
Livestream via Facebook Live

The Kochendorfers were founding members of Old Salem back in 1858, but in 1862 they were caught in the middle of the Dakota War. In the book Malice Toward None, Minnesota author Dan Munson tells the story of the four surviving Kochendorfer children orphaned by that War, and how members of the Old Salem congregation took in and cared for them and allowed them to not merely survive but to thrive.

Hear the story on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 3 PM in-person at Old Salem or via Facebook Live (Facebook.com/OldSalemShrine).

Endowment Fund Established to Care for Old Salem

Through a very generous gift from the Estate of Jill Lewis, the future of Old Salem Shrine is more assured. The estate of the long-time president of the Old Salem Shrine Board of Trustees has established an endowment fund through the Minnesota United Methodist Foundation, designating proceeds to be used for maintenance and repairs to the church building, cemetery and grounds.

Jill (zehdner) lewis

Jill became a strong proponent of endowment funds through her tireless work with the Inver Grove Heights B.E.S.T. Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to graduates of Simley High School. She saw first-hand how endowments can establish a legacy of generosity for years and years.

The fund, “The Zehnder Memorial Endowment,” is named for Jill’s family, who was among the founding families and who have cared for Old Salem through generations. We welcome gifts to the fund. Once the fund reaches the minimal threshold of $25,000, Old Salem can benefit from annual distributions. Those distributions can be used for ongoing maintenance as well as significant repairs, such as replacing the roof, siding or fence.

While our most immediate need is gifts to pay for roof repairs, we also welcome gifts to the Zehnder Memorial Endowment to help us reach the minimum threshold for distributions. Please also consider a gift to the endowment as part of your estate plans.

Donate online
Choose “Named Endowment,” enter the amount and click “Donate.” On the next screen, specify “Zehnder Memorial Endowment Acct 8000” and then complete your transaction.

Donate by check
Payable to: Minnesota Methodist Foundation Please write “Zehnder Memorial Endowment Acct 8000” in the memo line.

Mail to:
MN Methodist Foundation
PO Box 26423
Minneapolis, MN 55426

The Leidig Sisters Come To Salem Evangelical Kirche

The Leidig Sisters

Research and story by Joe Brotzler, an Old Salem Shrine Trustee

Leaving the village of Mittelfischach in the state of Württemberg, Germany in the spring of 1889, two sisters travelled to the Port of Bremen.  There they took passage for America aboard the express steam-ship Fulda, operated by the Norddeutscher Lloyd Steamship Company.  Rosina and Margarethe Leidig left behind their mother and father along with three brothers and two sisters.

They arrived in New York City on May 1st and shortly, thereafter, in Inver Grove Township where they became an integral part of the small congregation making up Salem Evangelical Church.  Almost one year later on April 12, 1890, Barbara and Magdalene Leidig arrived in New York aboard the Aller, a sister ship to the Fulda.  They soon joined their two sisters and the congregation of Salem Evangelical Kirche. 

Rosina “Rosine/Rose” at age thirty-two was the oldest of the four sisters.  She and her three brothers were from their father’s first marriage, while her three half-sisters were from their father’s second marriage.  Rosine and Michael Haberoth, who had also come over on the Fulda, were married on May 1, 1889, the very day that they arrived in New York.   Michael was twenty-nine years of age.  The Salem EV meeting minutes show that Michael was the Church Server (custodian) for three different years in the 1890’s and then from 1900 through 1907, receiving an annual stipend of $14.00 most years; thereafter, due to financial limitations the work was parceled out to members on a monthly basis.  Michael and Rosine had been married thirty-five years when Rosine died.  Michael lived another fourteen years, passing away at the age of seventy-seven on September 30, 1938.

Margarethe “Margaret” Leidig was the second to the youngest of the four sisters.  Margaret wed Jacob Brotzler on March 31, 1892 at Salem Evangelical Kirche.  Jacob had arrived in New York on April 14, 1889, a mere two weeks before Margaret and Rosine landed.  He came from Switzerland on the steam-ship Waesland, via the port city of Antwerp.  When he landed at Ellis Island, Jacob’s last name was listed as “Rotzler”.  However, “rotz” has a somewhat off-color slang connotation in the German language and family lore has it that Margaret would not marry Jacob until he changed his name.  Hence, “Rotzler” became “Brotzler”.  Margaret was twenty-four and Jacob was twenty-nine when they wed.  After almost forty-seven years of marriage, Jacob died on March 1, 1939 at the age of seventy-six.

Barbara was the oldest of the three full-sisters.  On November 17, 1892, two and a half years after arriving in America, Barbara married Matthais “Matthew” Engel at Salem Evangelical Kirche.  Matthew, a widower, was a prominent member of Salem Kirche.  His first wife, Bertha (Maier) Engel, had died three years earlier, at age forty-five, from injuries suffered in a horse and buggy accident.  Matthew was fifty-seven and Barbara was twenty-six when they married.  On May 2, 1901, eight and a half years later, Matthew passed away at the age of sixty-seven.

On May 25, 1905 Barbara married another widower and prominent member of Salem Evangelical Kirche, Christian Schmid.  Christian had been a pallbearer for Matthew’s funeral.  Christian’s first wife, Margarethe (Willmsen) had died a year earlier.  Christian was sixty-three and Barbara was thirty-eight when they wed.  After nineteen years of marriage, Christian died on March 31, 1924 at the age of eighty-two.

Magdalene “Lena” was the youngest of the Leidig sisters.  She married Christof Ellinger on June 14, 1894 at Salem Evangelical Kirche.  Lena was twenty-two and Christof was thirty.  Christof served Salem Evangelical Kirche as a trustee from 1900 through 1907.  The Ellingers had been married for almost thirty-three years when Magdalene passed away.  Christof lived another twenty-eight years, passing away on March 11, 1955 at the age of ninety.

Why the Leidig sisters came to Salem Evangelical Kirche is not definitively known.  A possible explanation could be the fact that Michael Haberoth was related to the Glassings, one of the founding families of Salem Evangelical Kirche.  Regardless of why they came, the four sisters settled in the area of Salem Evangelical Kirche and raised their families. 

Rosine and Michael Haberoth lived for a short while in a log cabin located at South Robert Trail and Mendota Road.  They then purchased a farm further south on South Robert Trail.  The home is still there today on the east side of South Robert Trail, about halfway between I-494 and Hwy 55. They raised a daughter and a son and lost three children at birth or in infancy.

 In 1895, less than three years after they were married, Barbara and Michael Engel moved into the upstairs of a new duplex at 432 E. Page St. on the west side of St. Paul.  Michael was a carpenter and he had built the house.     Michael then built a side-by-side duplex next door at 436-438 E. Page St.  The Engels moved into the left half (438) of this duplex in 1899.  They had three daughters, two of whom passed away as young women; one at the age of fourteen and another at the age of twenty. They also lost a son in infancy, shortly after Michael passed away. 

When Barbara married Christian Schmid, they continued to live in the left half of the large double house, at 436-438 E. Page St.  The double house still stands at Page St. and Kansas Ave., a block off Concord St. and immediately east of the US 52 Freeway.  They had three children together, two daughters and a son.  One of the daughters died as a young child.

Margaret and Jacob Brotzler lived near Salem Evangelical Kirche until 1900, when they purchased a small farmstead on the north end of South St Paul.  Their farmstead now lies under the US 52 Freeway immediately north of Butler Ave. They raised ten children, four sons and six daughters; who all, but one, lived into their eighties and nineties.  They lost an infant son and daughter.

For the first fifteen years of their married life, Lena and Christof Ellinger made their home in Inver Grove Township.  Then in 1909 they built a small, white framed-house on property adjacent to the southwest corner of the Brotzler farmstead.  The house at 451 E. Butler Ave. in West St Paul is still occupied today and looks much the same as when it was built.  They raised four daughters, two of whom lived in the family home until their deaths in the 1990’s.  The Ellingers lost four children in infancy, three sons and a daughter. 

The Ledig sisters’ families were extremely close growing up and much of their socializing was amongst the uncles, aunts and cousins.  In 2000, Edna (Schmid) Sorensen (one of the last surviving cousins) wrote, “Didn’t your father join cavalry Mexican Border when only 16?  Later when he came back he had his horse & tent set up for a while behind the big Brotzler house & he was with our gang of cousins on a lot of hay rides & snow rides out to Haberoth farm & picnics & pow wows & for years we were all together many times.”  Two of the cousins even married sisters from Inver Grove Township.  Edward Haberoth married Martha Schindeldecker and Charles Brotzler married Clara Schindeldecker.  (Charles and Clara are buried at the Old Salem Church Cemetery.) 

Even in death, the four Leidig sisters have remained close, just as they did throughout their lives. Three of the sisters are buried at Old Salem Kirchhof (Cemetery). 

Rosine (Leidig) Haberoth was born on September 18, 1857 and died August 6, 1924 at the age of sixty-six.  She and her husband Michael are buried in Lot 66 at Old Salem Cemetery along with the three infant children that they lost.  A grandson and great grandson are also buried in the family lot.

Magdalene (Leidig) Ellinger was born on August 31, 1871 and died March 10, 1927 at the age of fifty-five.  She and her husband Christof are buried in Lot 38 at Old Salem Cemetery along with their four daughters and the four children they lost in infancy.

Barbara (Leidig) Engel/Schmid was born on November 18, 1866 and died on June 8, 1938 at the age of seventy-one.  She is buried in Riverview Cemetery in a shared Schmid/Engel lot along with both of her husbands, Mathew Engel and Christian Schmid.   Mathew was originally buried at Old Salem Cemetery, but was moved to Riverview Cemetery along with their infant son, who died a month after Matthew passed away, and a daughter who died in 1912. Another Engel daughter, a Schmid daughter and Christian’s first wife (who was also moved from Old Salem Cemetery) are also buried on the Riverview lot.

Margaret (Leidig) Brotzler was born on December 27, 1867 and died March 9, 1971 at the age of one hundred three.  She and her husband Jacob are buried in Lot 31 at Old Salem Cemetery along with one of their sons.  Another son, two daughters, two infant children and two grandsons are also buried in the cemetery.

A note on cemetery lots at Old Salem Kirchhof:  When Barbara and Christian Schmid moved their first spouses to Riverview Cemetery in 1916 two lots became available at Old Salem.  Lot 66 where Christian’s first wife, Margarethe Willmsen, had been buried was taken over by Barbara’s sister Rosine and her husband Michael Haberoth.  Lot 31 where Barbara’s first husband, Matthias Engel, had been buried was taken over by Barbara’s sister Margaret and her husband Jacob Brotzler.  Matthias’ first wife, Bertha (Meyer) Engel, is still buried on Lot 31 and the monument for her still stands there.  Two Engel children, George an infant who died a couple of months after Matthais passed away in 1901 and Frieda who died in 1912 at the age of fourteen, were also moved from Lot 31 to the Schmid/Engel lot at Riverview.  

By the end of 1912/beginning of 1913 the days of Salem Evangelical Kirche as a viable church and congregation came to a close. The last known roster of members in 1908 showed only eight families still represented. Of the four Leidig sisters’ families, only the Haberoths were still listed. In the final years, most of the members Of Old Salem dispersed in one of two directions: the Zion (later Salem) German Methodist Episcopal Church just to the east at Salem Church Road and Babcock Trail or the Zion Evangelical Church (later the Winifred Street Evangelical Church) on the west side of St Paul. The Leidig sisters and their families went in the direction of the Winifred Street Church. Barbara and her family probably made the move in 1905 (after she married Christian Schmid), as their home on Page St. was in close proximity to the Winifred Street Church. The Brotzlers, whose home was also significantly closer to the Winifred Church, likely made the move at about the same time or shortly after the Schmids. Christof Ellinger was still listed as a trustee for Old Salem Kirche in 1907, but he and his family were not listed on the 1908 roster. The Haberoths, who lived closer to Old Salem, probably held on until the very end.

The four families became active and staunch members of the Winifred Street congregation, just as they had been of the Salem congregation. The obituaries for all four sisters and their husbands show the Winifred Street Evangelical Church (or its successors the Winifred Evangelical United Brethren Church or the Faith United Methodist Church) as the location of their funeral services. Anne (Brotzler) Sioris was the last surviving child of a Leidig sister. When she died on October 11, 2004 at the age of ninety-six, her obituary stated that Anne had been a (confirmed) member of the Faith United Methodist congregation for eighty-two years. She and her husband, Theodore, are buried in Old Salem Kirchhof.

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RESEARCH NOTES

Upon a phone inquiry relative to the Haberoths, Brotzlers, Schmids and Ellingers joining the Winifred Evangelical Church, the following information was received from Susan R. Filter, the Administrative Assistant at Faith United Methodist Church:

“I found some records, but not from exactly 1913, as that book is very fragile and falling apart actually, and hard to understand because the headings are all in old script German and entries in fancy quill.”

CHANGES AS OF THE 1922 ROSTER:

HABAROTH

*This 1922 list did not include Eddie as previous list 

BROTZLER

*Both the Margaretha names were changed to Margaret.

*Added the following names:

•   Lydia

•   Annie

•   Carolyn

• George (who was line-item noted later as withdrawing in 1924)

SCHMID

*No change, but apparently line-item noted later that Christopher died in 1924 

ELLINGER

*Added address of “Res. 400 E. Butler  P.O. 228 E. Annapolis W.S.P.”

*Christian’s name was then duly noted as Christof Ellinger

*Added the following names:

•   Lillian

•   Marie

•   Martha

•   Alma

1917-1918:

HABAROTH – South St. Paul R.F.D.

• Michael

• Rosina

• Lena

• Eddie 

BROTZLER – 323 South St. Paul MN (?)

• Jacob

• Margaretha “Sr.”

• Fred

• Margaretha “Jr.”

• Elizabeth

• Marie 

SCHMID – 438 Page St.

• Christopher

• Barbara

• Edna

• Edwin

ELLINGER – no address listed 1918

• Christian

• Magdalena 

*hyperlinks above are disabled. To access linked data, visit www.GermanImmigrants1880s.com.

Christof Ellinger: 

• Usually listed as Christoph or Christoph George, also known as Christ

• Birth: 8 Apr 1864   Death: 11 Mar 1955   Born:  Gaildorf, Württemberg, Germany

• Came to USA:  At age 21 (1885 or 1886)    

• Marriage: 14 June 1894   Spouse:  Magdalene “Lena” Leidig

• Occupation:  Janitor   Retired:  1941

• Surviving Children:  Lillian Catherine (1900-1993), Marie Magdalene (1902-1991),

• Martha Luella Ellstrom (1906-1994), Alma Emma (1908-1956)

• Died in Infancy:  Christoph (1896), Baby Girl (1897), Baby Boy (1899), Christof (1905)

• The 1900 Census showed that Christof”s 25 year-old sister, Christina, was living with them.  Christof’s obituary listed a sister, Mrs. Christine Sievers, of Farmington, MN.

Jacob Brotzler: 

• birth record shows:   Johann Jacob Rotzler, Male   Born: 27 October 1862, Brombach, Germany, Baptized: 2 Nov. 1862 at Hasel, Baden, Germany.

• Father: Johann Jakob Rotzler B: 25 Nov 1833, Married: 17 Jan 1862 at Hasel, Baden, Germany

• Mother: Caroline Greiner B: 9 Feb 1837 (Neil D. has a note that says she was buried in Switzerland)

• Grandfather: Johann Jakob Rotzler

• Grandmother: Eva Grether

• Came to USA:  14 Apr 1889 at age 26

• Marriage:  31 Mar 1892   Spouse:  Margarthe “Margaret” Leidig

• Died:  1 Mar 1939

• Occupation:  Swift and Company as a butcher/custodian

• Surviving Children:  George (1893-1976), Charles (1894-1984), Frederick William (1895-1976), Margaret Church (1898-1979), Elizabeth (1902-1982), Marie Karolyn (1903-1980), Lydia Buchman (1905-2001), Karolyn Prosser (1907-2000), Anne Karolyn Sioris (1908-2004), Paul Lawrence (1911-1999)

• Died in Infancy:  Herman Paul (1899-1900), Christina (1901-1902)

Michael Haberoth: 

• Birth: 1860   Death: 30 Sept 1938   Born:  Zollhof, Württemberg, Germany

• Came to USA:  At age 29 on 1 May 1889    

• Marriage: 1 May 1889   Spouse:  Rosina “Rosine/Rose” Leidig

• Occupation:  Farmer

• Surviving Children:  Edward (1894-1953), Lena Keller (1891-?)

• Died in Infancy:  Michael (1890), Michael (1893), Baby Girl (1896)

Matthais “Matthew” Engel: 

• Birth: 1835   Death: 2 May 1901   Born:  Switzerland

• Came to USA:  at age 18 on 23 Aug 1853

• Marriage:   

  • 14 Aug 1887   Spouse:  Bertha Maier (1844-1889)

  • 17 Nov 1892   Spouse:  Barbara Leidig

• Occupation:  Carpenter

• Surviving Children:  Barbara Rosina Bahner (1895-1978), Matilda Magdalene (1896-1917), Frieda Maria (1898-1912)

• Died in Infancy:  George Friedrich (1900-1901)

Christian Heinrich Schmid: 

• Birth: 1835   Death: 31 Mar 1924   Born:  Bergfelden, Württemberg, Germany

• Came to USA:  at age 17 on 27 Oct 1854

• Marriage:  

  • 17 Jun 1866     Spouse:  Margarethe Willmsen (1846-1904)

  • 25 May 1905   Spouse:  Barbara Leidig/Engel

• Occupation:  farmer 

• Surviving Children:  Edna Margaretha Sorensen (1907-2001), Edwin Christian (1908-1981)

• Died as Young Child:  Violet Lucille (1910-1916)

Email from Neil Danner Jan 3, 2016

Joe,

I did a search on ancestry.com for Jacob Rotzler b. 1862, and the following Mormon data (FHL File 1189759) came up:

Johann Jacob Rotzler, Male Born: 27 October 1862, Brombach, Germany, Baptized: 2 Nov. 1862 at Hasel, Baden, Germany.

Father: Johann Jacob Rotzler B: 25 Nov 1833, Married: 17 Jan 1862 at Hasel, Baden, Germany

Mother: Caroline Greiner B: 9 Feb 1837 (I have a note that says she was buried in Switzerland)

Grandfather: Johann Jacob Rotzler

Grandmother: Eva Grether

There are several Brombach cities in Germany, but the Brombach near Lörrach is close to the Switzerland border as well as the city of Hasel, Baden (north of Wehr).

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brombach_(Lörrach)

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasel_(Baden)

It’s possible that the family subsequently may have moved to Switzerland or frequently did business in Switzerland or had relatives that lived in Switzerland.

I believe that the death certificate of Jacob Brotzler indicates a birth in Brumbau, Germany. This could be a misspelling of Brombach.

So, I think I now agree with your immigration record for Jacob Rotzler. Perhaps he used a Swiss passport with a reason to immigrate of “returning to home country” (Germany) and then used same to immigrate into the USA.

In my German dictionary the noun “Rotz” indeed means snot. That part is not slang. But adding “ler” produces Rotzler, which might be slang for snot nose or someone with a runny nose.

Old Salem Mourns the Passing of Jill Lewis

It is with deep sadness that we share that Jill (Zehnder) Lewis passed away Sunday, June 7, due to pancreatic cancer. Jill was President of our Board of Trustees for many years and the driving force behind Old Salem Shrine’s Founder’s Day and Epiphany Services, as well as opening the church to occasional weddings and baptisms. In addition to serving as President, she was also the church’s dedicated organist.

The family requested memorials be made to Old Salem Shrine Church via our website or via mail to:

Old Salem Shrine
c/o Maggie Hobbs
1452 Sargent Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105

“Old Salem is a signal to the modern generation of a ‘grounding’ to the past—so much that our ancestors gave up to have a place of worship and a church family.”

Jill (Zehnder) Lewis, June 2020