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History in
a Pecan Shell
Cleng Peerson,
the man who is known as the "Father of Norwegian Immigration"
is buried in the churchyard at Norse. The church, Our
Savior 's Lutheran Church (dedicated in 1878), is the last remaining
public building.
At one time Norse was the largest and most successful Norwegian settlement
in Texas.
An elaborate marker at the Norse Cemetery has images of the
first Norwegian families. |
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A timeline
of significant historical events in Norse
1845: The
first Norwegian immigrants arrive in (East)
Texas
1853: Driven out of East
Texas by malaria, they headed west looking for not greener - but
dryer pastures., The settlers found a landscape more reminiscent of
Norway, although it was noticeably short on Fijords. The isolated
families soon centered their social life upon a scattered group of
buildings, including a rock school and a few stores, which they named
Norse.
1878: Our Savior's Lutheran
Church was constructed.
1880: The community is granted a post office.
1880s: The Norse Mutual Fire Insurance Company was formed.
1929: The post office closed.
1949: A Smorgasbord tradition is set in place that has continued
each Novemeber since.
1982: King Olav V of Norway visited Our
Savior's Lutheran Church to honor Cleng Peerson.
1980s: Population is a dispersed 100 people. |
Seventh Day Adventist
Church about 1.4 miles NE of Norse
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2004 |
Norse, Texas
Chronicles:
The
Rogstads of Bosque County by Mike Cox
When the U.S. Army left the state on the eve of the Civil War, initially
only citizen volunteers stood between the settlers and hostile Indians.
One of those volunteers was Berger Rogstad, a Norwegian who had
come to Bosque County in 1854. more
Runaway
scrapes by Mike Cox
Thousands of people die every year in traffic crashes, but the horse
and buggy era had its injurious and fatal accidents as well. more
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
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