Singsaas Lutheran Church
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MNSearchers
N 44° 31.577 W 096° 27.892
14T E 701447 N 4933454
The original Singsaas congregation was formed on October 26th, 1874.
Waymark Code: WM1E4C
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 04/17/2007
Views: 23
At over 135 years old, Singsaas is one of the oldest country prairie churches that continues to hold weekly services.
The first settlers to the Hendricks area, from Singsas Norway, had worshipped together at the Singsas Church in Norway. After immigrating to the US, they continued to worship together in their homes until 1884, when the first Singsaas Church was built. This church was built similar to the original Singsas, Norway church, adding a unique continuity to the life of these prairie settlers.
As the Singsaas congregation grew, members built an additional church in Hendricks, and also one in the nearby town of Astoria, SD. The attendees of the Singsaas church later formed two separate congregations, and the church was directly responsible for creating six separate churches in the area. Singsaas is devotedly known as the "Mother Church."
Singsaas church is located 3 miles northwest of Hendricks. Interesting features around the church include:
* Singsaas Cemetery - Surrounding the Singsaas church on the north, south, and west is the Singsaas Cemetery. Most of the gravestones are inscribed in Norwegian. The cemetery has unique and exquisite gravestones, suitable for photography.
* Civil War Veteran - Buried in Singsaas Cemetery is Hans Lien, the only Civil War veteran from the Civil War era.
* Historical Monument - 1923 saw a 50 year celebration of the first settlers to the area. This was commemorated by building a 12 foot tall pyramid which stands in front of the church.
* Grinding Stone - Near the top of the pyramid's western side is a half-shaped rock. This rock was half of the mill stone which was used by the early settlers.
Street address:
19716 487th Ave
Hendricks, SD USA
County / Borough / Parish: Brookings
Year listed: 2003
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1900-1924
Historic function: Funerary, Landscape, Religion
Current function: Funerary, Landscape, Religion
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.