Gran Evangelical Lutheran Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Gran Evangelical Lutheran Church
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Bagley, Minnesota |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1897 |
| Built by | Ole Eneberg |
| Architectural style | Log cabin |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000593 |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 1988 |
The Gran Evangelical Lutheran Church is a special old church located in Popple Township, Clearwater County, Minnesota. You can find this historic log church near Bagley, Minnesota, where Clearwater County Road 45 and 20 meet.
Building a Community Church
This church, made from logs, was built in 1897 by Ole Eneberg. At that time, this part of Minnesota was just starting to be settled. Many people were moving there to build new lives.
Large companies were cutting down pine trees in northern Minnesota for wood. Farmers, often called homesteaders, followed these loggers to start their own farms.
A group of people from Norway, who had moved to the area, decided to start the first church congregation. They asked Reverend G.P. Nesseth (1867-1937) to lead them. He had studied at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and was helping to start churches in new areas.
Reverend Nesseth and his church group were part of a larger organization called the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For the first two years, church services were held in the homes of church members. Then, between April and July of 1897, the congregation built this log church.
A Place of Worship and History
People continued to go to church in this log building until 1953. At that time, their church group joined with another nearby church. Together, they formed Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Ebro, Minnesota.
In 1973, the Clearwater County Historical Society placed a special plaque on the old log church. This plaque recognized it as "the first church built in Clearwater County."
Later, in 1988, the Gran Evangelical Lutheran Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important buildings, sites, and objects that are worth preserving in the United States.
