First Site of Bethel Lutheran Church and Cemetery
N 40° 26.840 W 099° 18.221
14T E 474247 N 4477453
Bethal Lutheran Church and Cemetery, established in 1879. Nebraska Historical Marker 427. #396
Waymark Code: WMRR1F
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 07/27/2016
Views: 5
First Site of Bethel Lutheran Church and Cemetery, June 1879
Thirty Swedish settlers in Harlan and Phelps counties organized Bethel Lutheran Church on November 12, 1877, at the home and post office of Gustaf Hanson, which was located seven miles south and two miles east of Holdrege in Harlan County.
Their first church, a small sod structure, was built here in Phelps County on a plot of ground in the N.W. quarter of Section 31, Divide Precinct, donated by Mathias Hedlund. A cemetery located south of the church was receiving graves as late as 1932. The native prairie grass serves as a reminder of the past.
Lay pastors serving the congregation were Olof Hedlund and C. J. Johnson. Pastor J. E. Swanborn was the first called pastor. The sod church was replaced in 1884 by a frame church built in Holdrege. In 1892, a frame building was erected at this site to be used during the summer months as a "Swede School" for the children of the congregation.
The present congregation recognized with thankfulness the commitment and sacrifice these early pioneers made to affirm their Christian faith.
Marker Name: First Site of Bethel Lutheran Church and Cemetery, June 1879
City: no
Roadside: yes
Other: no
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