The Methodist Church founded Salem in the mid 1820’s. It is famous for its many fine buildings and also for the historic negotiations between Richard Gush and the approaching Xhosa during the War of Hintsa, when the Xhosa agreed to leave the village in peace.

A small village set out by Richard Daniel in the early 1830’s along the lines of an English country village with Daniels' house, Sidbury Park, being set a little way from the village. Sidbury boasts two splendid churches, Anglican and Methodist. It has a number of war graves in the church graveyards. The area is of importance to South African agricultural history as Merino sheep were first imported to this area, which then led to a wool boom. It was also from here that Merino sheep were first exported to Australia, marking the beginning of that country's massive modern wool industry.