HISTORY…
History was by far my least favorite subject in high school. World Civilization…it seemed if we weren’t memorizing dates, we were examining a skeletal bone that was supposedly thousands of years old. Ho–hum…
But, then came U.S. History! And seemingly a whole new world opened up! So much so that I actually taught High School History for 3 years! There’s a tidbit of information that most of you did not know about me.
Perhaps that is why I love traveling the back roads of Texas to discover…whatever is there just waiting for me to bring it to life! One of my latest discoveries was unearthed during a recent visit to a very small “out-of-the-way” museum in Clifton, Texas. While there, I was introduced to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. To say the least, I was hooked! I had to find it and photograph it. And so, off we went…
The community of Norse began in 1854 when eight couples arrived from east Texas following the suggestion of Cleng Peerson, the “Father of Norwegian Immigration to America”. Cleng Peerson is buried in the cemetery of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and his grave site brings many visitors to Norse, including the King of Norway in 1984.
The Rev. O.O. Estrem formally organized Our Savior’s Lutheran Church on June 14, 1869 with over 230 charter members. In 1871, 111 acres of land was purchased for $1.00 per acre, and a two-story, stone parsonage was built on the property. A wooden sanctuary was begun in 1875 and completed and dedicated in 1885. The chancel furniture in the church is the original.
In 1907, the church was enlarged and brick-veneered, but the interior was not changed.
In 1915, English spoken services were introduced and gradually increased until there was only one Norwegian service each month in 1925. (It was 1941 when the Norwegian services stopped entirely)
And this is what we found…
