Oct. 5 will mark the 150th anniversary of Salem United Church of Christ, located at 615 Third St. on the corner of Walnut Street in Catasauqua Borough. While the congregation may be older, at 167 years, the building itself celebrates its sesquicentennial this year.

A year after separating from St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1868, the congregation of Salem UCC laid the cornerstone for the new building 2 p.m. Oct. 5, 1869. They purchased the land, which was then on the far edge of town, from the esteemed Judge and Sen. Joseph Laubach.

The church suffered major damage only nine years later when the steeple was blown off in a storm. At the time, in 1878, that steeple was the highest landmark in Catasauqua. In these early decades, the church underwent major renovations and expansions, including the sanctuary’s main stained-glass window, a single-story Sunday school wing and a new steeple, which also fell at some unspecified time.

In 1892, the Young People’s Association was granted permission to install electric lighting for the building.

The 1920s saw even more expansion for Salem UCC, with the church buying up the property behind them to grow the Sunday school wing and add a second floor. After this period, however, church records began to fall off - presumably due to the Great Depression and World War II.

Despite the national hardships, Salem UCC survived, and the postwar economic boom led to the church’s greatest period of expansion. The Sunday school received extensive renovations in the 1950s, but the 1960s held even more changes for the building. The library was added in 1960, a space that would later become fellowship hall.

The entire church was redone during the Program of Progress of 1962-64. This ambitious project included stone siding for three sides of the building, which is still in place today, new pews, furniture and lighting. In total, the Program of Progress cost roughly $120,000, plus $10,000 for a new organ. Adjusted for inflation, that’s well over a million dollars.

Although the church has never seen renovations at such a grand scale again, the decades since have brought numerous improvements - new stained-glass windows, a kitchen in the basement, an oil furnace and new carpeting, to name a few. More significantly, a new organ was installed in 1997, which still serves the church now, followed by carillon bells in 2002.

To honor this milestone anniversary, the Salem UCC congregation has organized an official historical committee. Over the past several months, committee members have been poring over the old records and photographs with the goal of compiling a more comprehensive recorded history of the church.

A presentation of their findings will be part of a special anniversary service, which will be held at Salem UCC 5 p.m. Oct. 5. The public is invited to join the congregation in celebrating the storied history and continuing life of this beautiful 150-year-old church.