Spring Valley Presbyterian Church

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The Spring Valley Presbyterian Church, also known as the Zena Church, in the community of Zena, is a Presbyterian congregation approximately 10 miles northwest of Salem, Oregon, United States.

According to a commemorative plaque in front of the church, it was built in 1859 with volunteer labor. The lumber came by boat on the Willamette River to the community of Lincoln. The bell came from England via Cape Horn.

The church is built with its back to the roadside, which is considered an unusual placement for a church. The Zena property has had a number of people report paranormal activity, and the church has been the focus of ghost enthusiasts throughout the years. Visitors often report seeing a silhouette of man on bicycle who then disappears. Directly adjacent to the church is "Bethel Cemetery", a small cemetery of approximately 100 headstones. Sunday church services and private weddings are still held at Spring Valley. Local families continue to bury their dead in the cemetery.

The church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. [1]

[edit] External links

• Historic photographs of Zena, Oregon, including the church, from Salem Public Library
• An investigation into the supposed paranormal activity at the church from the Pacific Paranormal Research Society