In 1833 the Methodist Church sent missionaries to Oregon with the first settlement established about ten miles north of Salem at what is now Willamette Mission State Park. Jason Lee, a Salem Oregon pioneer, missionary, civic leader and co-founder of Willamette University was a member of this church.

First United Methodist Church was constructed on the corner of State Street and Church Street and completed in 1878. The First United Methodist Church is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.