This cemetery was formerly the Essex Cemetery and the name is now obsolete.

Today the cemetery is called Salem's-Friedhoff Cemetery and is located near what used to be the Oak Grove Farm. It is one of three cemeteries affiliated with each other and four cemeteries conjoined. Note: This is not the Salem Cemetery in Hebron.

The cemetery was established in 1891 and is connected to the German Evangelical Salem Church of Christ located in LaPorte County. The cemetery is also affiliated with St. John's Lutheran Church and is used for burials for congregational members of both churches. The cemetery was formerly dedicated on January 1, 1892 by Rev. William Schultz.

The cemetery is located about one mile west of Wanatah in Section 36, Township 35, Range 5, Washington Township, Porter County, Indiana and is situated in the bottom far right corner of the township, bordered on east by LaPorte County and on the south by Morgan Township, off County Line Road East just south of US 30 - Lincoln Highway. The railway lines are south of it.

Indiana Cemetery Locations, Volume 1, published by the Indiana Genealogical Society (02 April 2005), gives the primary cemetery name as Salem Cemetery with alternate names of Essex Cemetery, Friedhoff Cemetery, and German Evangelical Cemetery.

The cemetery is listed in the Cemetery and Burial Grounds Registry of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and in the State Historical Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD) with Cemetery Record Number CR-64-65 (Sacred Heart Catholic / Essex / Salem / Friedhoff / German Evangelical / Salem United Church of Christ).

The Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory (IHSSI) survey number for Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery / Essex Cemetery / Salem Cemetery / Friedhoff Cemetery / German Evangelical Cemetery is 127-660-25021 with the dataset compiled in 1990.