St. Olaf Kirke, commonly referred to as The Rock Church, is a small Lutheran church located outside of Cranfills Gap, Texas, United States, in an unincorporated rural community known as Norse in Bosque County, Texas. The Church is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. [1] [2]
St. Olaf Kirke is situated on a rise overlooking Meridian Creek Valley, four miles east of Cranfills Gap. The church was constructed in 1884 on land purchased for $25. Designed and built in 1886 by Andrew Mickelson, St. Olaf Kirke served a community of Norwegian settlers who farmed on area lands. With the help of Mickelson's brothers, Christian and Ole, as well as many local farmers, limestone was quarried from the surrounding hills to build the church. Originally, the church's floor consisted of little more than dirt and the pews were constructed of planks laid upon wooden kegs. [3]
While the church originally functioned as an extension of the Our Savior's Lutheran Church congregation located just six miles east, the growth of the community resulted in St. Olaf Kirke becoming an independent congregation in 1902. Norwegian was the primary language used during church services, although some English services were held as well. The church continued to be used for regular Sunday church services until 1917 when St. Olaf Lutheran Church was built in Cranfills Gap. [4]
Today, St. Olaf Kirke serves as a historical landmark with special significance for the descendants of the Norwegian settlers of the area. Special events, such as weddings and funerals, continue to be held in the church. The church was designated a historical landmark by the Texas Historical Commission in 1974 and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. [5] [6]
Due to the community's strong ties to its original Norwegian heritage, this area was visited King Olav V of Norway on October 10, 1982. The King came to commemorate the birth of Cleng Peerson who is buried in the Norse Cemetery. At that time the King also visited St. Olaf Kirke which is located nearby. [7]
Hamilton County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,222. The county seat is Hamilton. The county was created in 1858. It is named for James Hamilton Jr., a former governor of South Carolina who gave financial aid to the Republic of Texas.
Bosque County is a county located in the greater Waco area. The county sits just northwest of Waco in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,235. Its county seat is Meridian, while Clifton is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. The county is named for the Bosque River, which runs through the center of the county north to south. The Brazos River makes up the eastern border, along with the Lake Whitney reservoir it feeds.
Clifton is the largest city in Bosque County, in Central Texas, United States. The city's population was 3,442 at the 2010 census.
Cranfills Gap is a town located in Bosque County in central Texas, United States. It was founded by Norwegian Emigrants and to this day most residents can trace their lineage to those Norwegian Founders. The population was 281 at the 2010 census.
St. Olaf or St. Olave or St. Olav may refer to:
Norwegian Americans are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans, according to the 2021 U.S. census; most live in the Upper Midwest and on the West Coast of the United States.
The American Lutheran Church (ALC) was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States and Canada that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters were in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, The ALC designated Augsburg Publishing House, also located in Minneapolis, as the church publisher. The Lutheran Standard was the official magazine of The ALC.
Cleng Peerson was a Norwegian emigrant to the United States; his voyage in 1824 was the precursor for the boat load of 52 Norwegian emigrants in the following year. That boat load was a precursor for the main wave of Norwegian immigration to the United States.
Religion in Norway is dominated by Lutheran Christianity, with 63.7% of the population belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway in 2022. The Catholic Church is the next largest Christian church at 3.1%. The unaffiliated make up 18.3% of the population. Islam is followed by 3.4% of the population.
Rock Church may refer to a number of different churches including:
Our Savior's Lutheran Church, is a Lutheran church located near the cities of Clifton and Cranfills Gap in the unincorporated community of Norse in Bosque County, Texas.
Celina was an unincorporated community in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The early 20th century community was once home to a Lutheran church, post office, and general stores. The village was located near Greaney and Bear River, Minnesota.
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States is a general term to describe the Lutheran church tradition developed within the United States by immigrants from Norway.
Olaf Morgan Norlie, also referred to as O. M. Norlie, was a Lutheran minister, educator and scholar. He was additionally a Lutheran church historian, librarian, editor and statistician. He was also a prolific author who is most remembered as the translator of the Simplified New Testament.
Claus Lauritz Clausen was an American pioneer Lutheran minister, church leader, military chaplain and politician.
Jefferson Prairie Settlement was a pioneer colony of Norwegian-Americans located in the Town of Clinton, in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. This site and the nearby Rock Prairie settlement outside Orfordville served as centers for both Norwegian immigration and developments within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The unincorporated community of Bergen is in the vicinity of Jefferson Prairie Settlement.
St. Olaf's Church, or variants thereof, refers to churches dedicated to Olaf II of Norway, and may refer to:
John Nathan Kildahl was an American Lutheran church minister, author and educator.
Norse is an unincorporated community in Bosque County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 110 in 2000.
