[2] In 1831, soon after the opening of the Erie Canal, a group of twelve Presbyterian families from Newark, New York[3] pulled up stakes and headed westward to Detroit.

[2] The families settled in the area around what is now Saline, and immediately began holding church services.

The congregation hired Detroit architects Frederick H. Spier and William C. Rohns to design the church, and local contractor Conrad Schaffer and Son to build it.

[2] The Saline Presbyterian Church is a brick Romanesque Revival structure, built with an irregular plan on a heavy stone foundation.

The south and east sides of the building feature large stained glass windows.