Lund, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lund
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 Lund
Location in Texas
Lund
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Travis |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Lund is a small community located in the northeastern part of Travis County, Texas, in the United States. It's part of the larger Greater Austin area. An "unincorporated community" means it's a place where people live, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town.
Contents
History of Lund
Early Settlers and Swedish Roots
In the late 1880s, people from Sweden began to settle in this area. They first called their new home Pleasant Hill. In 1899, a post office was opened. It was named Lund, possibly after a local family or a town in Sweden.
Lund became an important center for a large group of Swedish farmers. This community grew as an extension of the New Sweden area, which was about four miles to the west. Some of Lund's first settlers included N. M. Anderson, August Thornquist, and Gustaf Seaholm. More Swedish families moved to the area in the 1890s.
Building the Community and Church
Dr. J. A. Stamline, a pastor from the New Sweden Lutheran Church, helped establish the Bethlehem congregation in Lund. This church group was founded on January 16, 1897, with 19 adult members and 20 children.
Three people named P. V. Nelson, Nels Ankarstolpe, and J. E. Rivers gave 112 acres (45 ha) of land to the church. They also set aside an extra acre for a community cemetery. Construction of the church building started in the fall of 1899. The Bethlehem Lutheran Church was still active in 1989.
Life in Early Lund
In the 1890s, Lund was a busy place. It had a general store where people could buy supplies. There were also two cotton gins, which were machines used to separate cotton fibers from their seeds. A blacksmith shop was also part of the community.
Brothers Carl and Fred Bergman, who lived in Lund, wrote letters to their sisters in Sweden. In a letter from 1896, they mentioned that "West of us there live nothing but Swedes for a distance of about sixteen miles." They also noted that "A peculiar variety of people dwell east, south, and north of us, including Americans, Germans, Bohemians, Negroes, and Mexicans."
The land around Lund was very fertile, meaning it was good for farming. This helped the new immigrants grow large crops. Over time, the people in Lund began to feel more like Americans than Swedes. Many young men from Lund served in major wars, including 27 who fought in World War I and several others in World War II.
The 1980 Storm
On April 7, 1980, a powerful storm hit Lund. It caused a lot of damage. The original Lund Bethlehem Lutheran Church was lifted from its foundation and had to be taken down. A new, large brick church with a bell tower was built to replace it.
Geography of Lund
Lund is located in the northeastern part of Travis County.
Education in Lund
Early Schools
In 1891, Dr. J. A. Stamline started a Swedish Lutheran Sunday school in Lund. The first regular school in Lund opened in the fall of 1894. The first school year lasted for three months. The schoolhouse was 25 ft (7.6 m) by 25 ft (7.6 m) in size and had windows on two sides.
School District Changes
The school in Lund closed in 1947 because fewer people were living in the rural area. After that, the Manda school district took over the Lund school, along with schools in Carlson, New Sweden, and Kimbro. In 1963, all these schools joined together to form the Elgin Independent School District.
Current Schools
Today, students living in the Lund community attend schools within the Elgin Independent School District. These schools include Neidig Elementary School, Elgin Middle School, and Elgin High School.
