The first settler, John McKee, came to the Boligee area around 1816. When the town's population had expanded enough, town leaders petitioned the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the official governing body of the denomination, for location of a church in the town. It was granted, and the Bethsalem Presbyterian Church was established in 1833. At this time, the town's center was located approximately 1.5 miles from the current center. Its economy centered largely on agriculture at this time. ~ Encyclopedia of Alabama