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 very old church building. It is located in Popple Township, Clearwater County, Minnesota. This historic church stands near the roads Clearwater County Road 45 and 20. It is just outside the town of Bagley, Minnesota.
Contents
Gran Church: A Historic Log Building
This special church was built in 1897. It was made from logs by a builder named Ole Eneberg. At that time, this part of Minnesota was just starting to be settled. Many people were moving there to live and work.
Settling the Land
In the late 1800s, lumber companies came to north-central Minnesota. They wanted to cut down the many pine trees in the forests. After the loggers, new families called homesteaders arrived. They started farms in the area.
A New Church Community
A group of people from Norway moved to this area. They were immigrants, meaning they came from another country. These Norwegian families started the first church group in the area. They wanted a place to worship and gather.
They hired Reverend G.P. Nesseth to lead their church. He was born in 1867 and passed away in 1937. Reverend Nesseth had studied at Luther College (Iowa) in Decorah, Iowa. He was doing missionary work, which means he was helping to start new churches.
Building the Church
Reverend Nesseth and his church members belonged to a group called the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For the first two years, the church services were held in people's homes.
Then, between April and July of 1897, the congregation built this log church. It became their special place for worship.
The Church's Later Years
The Gran Church community used this log building for many years. They continued to worship there until 1953. At that time, they joined with another local church group. Together, they formed a new church called Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Ebro, Minnesota.
In 1973, the Clearwater County Historical Society recognized the Gran Church. They placed a plaque on the building. This plaque proudly announced it as "the first church built in Clearwater County." This shows how important the church was to the area's history.
The Gran Evangelical Lutheran Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This means it is a very important historical site in the United States.
