608 Elm St Calumet MI 49913
History of the Church:
as printed in 1946 for the Church’s 75th Anniversary Celebrations
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Norwegian Lutheran Church in Calumet History
By Susan Rokicki and Lynn Bjorkman.
Adapted from information in the Society’s archives.
The First Norwegian Lutheran Church of Calumet was established as a congregation in 1871 to serve an immigrant population from Norway. Attracted by work in the area’s copper mines, Norwegians from Alten, in northern Norway, first settled in Calumet in 1865. Soon after, the Rev. A.C. Fredericksen arrived to conduct mission work among the immigrants, leading to the official organization of the congregation and the calling of its first pastor, the Rev. Hans Christian Rornas in 1871. Since Rornas, a native of Norway, also spoke Finnish, the church’s early membership included Finns, along with a smaller number of Swedes.
The newly formed congregation built its first church on Pine Street in 1872. The Pastor lived on the first floor and the congregation met on the second floor.
One year later, in 1873, a new church was built on Mine Street. Also in 1873, the church was incorporated as the Calumet Evangelical Lutheran Church. At that time the church had 243 members, 60 of whom were Finns, 15 Swedes, and 168 Norwegians. In 1878, the Swedish members withdrew, and eventually, the Finns also left to form their own congregations.
In 1897, the congregation secured a lot at Elm and Seventh Streets from the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company. Edward Ulseth, a prominent local contractor and civic leader, was instrumental in both the organization of the church and the construction of the new building. The building committee was composed of the following: Edward Ulseth, Hans Sivertsen, Sivert Olson, Martin Gundersen, Peter Ericksen, the Rev. Simon Romsdahl, and Anders Ulseth.
The wooden church with an attached parsonage and pastor’s study was built by the local contracting firm, Bajari-Ulseth. The construction foreman was Nels Ulseth. The cornerstone for the structure was laid on July 17, 1898.
The church design shows a strong Norwegian influence and is said to be an exact replica of a church in Kristiansund, Norway, birthplace of Edward Ulseth.
The auditorium was finished about a year after the start of construction; the church was dedicated on May 28, 1899, by the Rev. M. Falk Gjertsen. The first pastor of the new church was the Rev. Simon Romsdahl who served the congregation from 1899 to 1903.
The church remained a dynamic, functioning institution through the 1940s, until the copper mines declined and the area’s population dropped. Church services were held on a sporadic basis from the 1950s through the early 1980s, at which time only a few descendants of the congregation’s original membership remained. Because of the declining membership, maintenance of the structure was suspended.
By the mid 1980s, the historic structure, in great need of repair, had become a target for vandals and was being considered for demolition by the Calumet Village Council in order to allow for the expansion of a nearby business.
However, the small group of remaining members of the congregation, led by Miss Mollie Ulseth, whose father Nels, had helped to build the church, initiated an attempt to purchase the property in order to save the structure. Through a determined effort, the group succeeded in acquiring the property and preventing its demolition. Through further volunteer efforts, stabilization and repairs to the structure began in earnest in 1991. Restoration of the exterior began in 1997 and continues to the present. Future plans include restoration of the stained glass windows, and eventually, a complete restoration of the interior.
n 2000 The Norwegian Lutheran Church Historical Society was founded to maintain, restore, and facilitate future use of the historic church building.
Pastors who served the church from 1871-1961:
A missionary from Oslo, Norway named Rev. A. C. Fredricksen served the Norse worshipers of Calumet from 1866 to 1871
- 1870s: Hans Christian Rornas (1871-1873); Nils E. Boe (1873-1879), father of Dr. Lars W. Boe, the former president from 1918 to 1942 of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.;
- 1880s: Lars Eitrem (1879-1885); Ole Amundsen (1886-1889);
- 1890s: M. S. Holt (1889-1897)
- 1900s: S. L. Romsdahl (1897-1903); M. A. Petersen (1903-1904, left to become missionary to Madagascar); A. J. Petersen (1904, died shortly after arriving in Calumet); M. Tollefson (1904-1905); Martin Rufsvold (1905-1910);
- 1910s: S. L. Romsdahl (1910-1916); P. A. Strommen (1917-1921);
- 1920s: A. G. Dahle (1921-1924); Ingvald Hustvedt (1925-1930);
- 1930s: A. O. White (1930-1937); Ole Hjelland (1937-1940);
- 1940s-1961: Odean Tieman (1941-1942); Norton C. Engelstad (1944-1946); and Thurston Helman (lay preacher, 1946-1961).
Contact:
Norwegian Lutheran Church
Historical Society (NLCHS)
PO Box 294
Calumet, Michigan 49913
(906) 337-3392for further information or email webmaster