Our Savior's Lutheran Church, (Norwegian:''Vår Frelsers Kirke'') is a Lutheran church located near the cities of
Clifton
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
* Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
*Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
*Clifton, Nova Scotia ...
and
Cranfills Gap
Cranfills Gap is a city located in Bosque County in central Texas, United States. It was founded by Norwegian Emigrants and to this day most residents can trace their lineage to those Norwegian Founders. The population was 281 at the 2010 census. ...
in the unincorporated community of Norse in
Bosque County, Texas.
History
The congregation for Our Savior's Lutheran Church at Norse was organized on June 14, 1869 by Norwegian settlers of
Bosque County, Texas. The church itself was constructed between 1875 and 1885. As the congregation grew, it became necessary to build another church in the western part of the Norwegian immigrant settlement. That church,
St. Olaf Kirke
St. Olaf Kirke, commonly referred to as The Rock Church, is a small Lutheran church located outside of Cranfills Gap, Texas, United States, in an unincorporated rural community known as Norse in Bosque County, Texas. The Church is affiliated with ...
, started as an extension of the Our Savior's Lutheran congregation upon completion of the church in 1886, but eventually became an independent congregation in 1902.
The cemetery on the church property serves as the burial site for a number of original Norwegian settlers of the area, including
Cleng Peerson
Cleng Peerson (17 May 1783 – 16 December 1865) was a Norwegian emigrant to the United States; his voyage in 1824 was the precursor for the boat load of 52 Norwegian emigrants in the following year. That boat load was a precursor for the main ...
, commonly referred to was the father of Norwegian immigration to the United States. Today a portion of Texas 219 in Bosque County is named the Cleng Peerson Memorial Highway.
The area around the communities of Norse, Clifton, and Cranfills Gap is known as the Norse Historical District. Recently a monument was constructed just outside the church's cemetery recognizing the 17 original
Norwegian settlers of
Bosque County
Bosque County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,235. Its county seat is Meridian, while Clifton is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of th ...
.
Recent history
In October 1962, Our Savior's Lutheran Church at Norse was awarded the Texas Historical Building Medallion and has been recorded as a historical landmark of cultural significance by the State of Texas. Our Savior's Lutheran Church continues to be used for regular church services. The current pastor is the Rev. Dr. Ruth E. Hetland. The congregation consists of nearly 300 members and is currently affiliated with the
Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...
.
References
Other sources
*
Lovell, Odd S. (1984) ''The Promise of America: A History of the Norwegian-American People'' (Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press)
*Pool, William C. (1964) ''Bosque Territory: A History of an Agrarian Community'' (Kyle, Texas: Chaparral Press)
*Pierson, Oris E. (1979) ''Norwegian Settlements in Bosque County'' (Clifton, Texas: Bosque Memorial Museum)
External links
Our Savior's Lutheran Church at Norse website Norse Historic District{{Coord, 31, 46, 21, N, 97, 40, 43, W, region:NO_type:city, display=title
Lutheran churches in Texas
Landmarks in Texas
Churches in Bosque County, Texas
Norwegian-American culture in Texas
Churches completed in 1885