St. John’s Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal Church in Salem is one of the county’s oldest congregations, with Anglican roots reaching back to the early 1700s when an acre on Market Street was deeded for its first church in 1727. During the American Revolution, Salem lay in the path of British and Loyalist forces under Colonel Charles Mawhood, who occupied the town in March 1778 while conducting a major foraging expedition along the Delaware. Because St. John’s was an Anglican parish, some British troops expressed their contempt for local patriot sympathizers by damaging the church and even using the building as a stable. The original structure suffered heavily in this occupation and was eventually replaced by the present Gothic‑style church in 1838, which still watches over the historic churchyard where several Revolutionary-era Salem leaders are buried. Today, St. John’s stands as a living reminder of Salem County’s divided loyalties, the hardships of wartime occupation, and the community’s enduring faith across more than three centuries.