During the second half of the Nineteenth Century, many German immigrants came to Iowa in search of a place to settle down and make a home for themselves. Since land prices were going up in the eastern part of the state, many came to western Iowa where the rolling prairies still offered unlimited opportunities to buy real estate at prices that were low.  Most of these German immigrants were of the Lutheran faith, so it was natural that they should desire to band themselves together in congregations. So was the case of the Lutherans in the vicinity of Rock Branch.  They wanted their children to be baptized and instructed in the Lutheran faith.  This photograph is of the first Salem Lutheran Church built in 1892, which no longer stands.

The current church was built in 1941 with the education unit added in 1956.  The existing parsonage was built on site in 1962. The latest addition of a narthex was added in 2002, making the church handicap accessible.