Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church (Ham Lake, Minnesota)

Infobox_nrhp | name =Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church
nrhp_type =

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caption =Looking from the East on Swedish Drive.
location= 2200 Swedish Dr., NE
Ham Lake, Minnesota
lat_degrees = 45 | lat_minutes = 17 | lat_seconds = 36.93 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 93 | long_minutes = 12 | long_seconds = 43.03 | long_direction = W
area =
built =1872
architect= Per August Gustafson
architecture= Late Victorian
added = December 26, 1979
governing_body = Private
refnum=79001189 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

History

The following is the text of a plaque hanging on the front of the church. It was placed there by an Eagle scout completing his Eagle project in the spring of 2005. It provides an accurate portrayal of the history of the church which was collected from personal accounts and the Anoka County historical records.

"This church, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ham Lake as it is called on the National Register of Historic Places, has a rich history. Founded in 1872, the building was constructed on land donated by Johan and Fredrika Magnuson shortly after their daughters Alida and Emilia died of typhoid fever and a need for a cemetery was realized. Originally laid to rest in their front yard, when the church was completed the two coffins were moved and became the first graves in the cemetery.

When the church was first built there were no local pastors, thus, whenever the families in the church wanted to hold a service someone would have to travel to Anoka to pick up the pastor and bring him back. Since that time the church has expanded and required new buildings, but despite its now limited use, the "Old Church" remains an important part of the history of Our Saviours Lutheran Church."

Current Use

References