Name/Title
Ringsaker Evangelical Lutheran Church Centennial (1891-1991) booklet: Anniversary Festival, 16 June 1991Entry/Object ID
2026.33.1Description
On 16 June 1991, the Ringsaker Evangelical Lutheran Church, located near the entrance to Belmont Park in Traill County, held a Centennial Anniversary Festival to celebrate its 100-year (1891-1991) history. A Centennial Committee compiled a 16-page booklet for the event; this booklet is included in this TCHS Catalogit entry 2026-33.1 [click on the cover page]. A printed booklet was kindly provided the TCHS by David and Lenora Bjorge and a digital copy of this booklet used in this Catalogit entry was kindly provided by Crystal (Bjorge) Abentroth and Jennifer (Bjorge) Swenson. The printed booklet is available for viewing in the Resource Room of the TCHS Plummer House Museum in Hillsboro, ND.
Briefly, the first Ringsaker Lutheran Congregation was organized in 1891 by 17 'founding fathers' and was described as having "100 souls (3 Danes)". The first pastor was Rev. Christian Saugstad. The first baptism was Melvin Larson on 15 April 1892. The first funeral was Ellen Soffie Severtson on 7 May 1893.
A church was built in 1892 and 1893 with the first service held on 9 July 1893. The Ringsaker Church officially became part of the Lutheran Free Church on 4 July 1896. Six years later, in July 1902, the Ringsaker Church was destroyed by a tornado. Services were held in the Belmont School until a new Ringsaker Church was built in 1918 and dedicated on 6 July 1919. Services were held in Norwegian until the late 1910s when some services in English were held, with a transition to all-English services in the late 1930s.
By 1991, records indicated that Ringsaker Lutheran Church had 357 baptisms, 353 confirmations, 45 marriages and 176 funerals. Pages 10 to 13 in the Ringsaker Centennial Festival booklet list confirmands by year from 1893 to 1991.
The Ringsaker Lutheran Cemetery, located by the church, was plotted out in 1917 by S. K. Knutson and K. O. Brokke. Jorgen Brokke was the first burial in 1919.
Ringsaker Lutheran Church closed on 9 June 2002, but its legacy lives on. The Ringsaker Church bell continues to ring on special occasions such as Christmas thanks to the efforts of David Bjorge who restored the bell and whose great-grandfather, Arne Arneson, was a founding member of Ringsaker Evangelical Lutheran Church [page 1 news, Hillsboro Banner, 24 Dec. 2004]. David and Lenora Bjorge, with help of friends, has been on a mission to preserve the history of the Ringsaker Church [page 7 news, Hillsboro Banner, 24 Dec. 2004].
David, Lenora, family, and friends have created a special exhibit of the Ringsaker Church, including its alter and other historic fixtures, along with information signs, which is located in the Traill County Historical Societies Pioneer Building in Hillsboro. This beautiful exhibit is available for viewing by appointment and is open to the public during events such as Hillsboro Days in June and the TCHS Fall Festival in September or October.Acquisition
Accession
2026.33Source or Donor
Crystal (Bjorge) Abentroth, Jennifer (Bjorge) SwensonLocation
* Untyped Location
Resource RoomBuilding
Plummer House
