Around Swedish America in 548 Days - Day 80

Day 80 - First Lutheran Church

First Lutheran Church — 463 N. Maria Avenue (651-776-7210; www.flcstpaul.org).

First Lutheran Church, the first Swedish Lutheran congregation in Minnesota, was organized in 1854 by Reverend Erland Carlsson of Immanuel Lutheran in Chicago. Originally the congregation was made up of Swedes and Norwegians, but in 1870 the groups separated, and the Swedish congregation became known as the First Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church. The present brick structure, built in 1917, is the congregation’s third building. A unique marble baptismal font supported by four columns has the Swedish inscription, Den der tror och blivit döpt, han skall varda salig (Whosoever believes and is baptized, he shall be blessed). In the entrance of the adjacent Norelius Hall is a plaque in memory of Swedish Lutheran leader Erik Norelius (1833—1916). In the lobby are glass cases containing a number of historical items associated with the congregation.

To the west of Norelius Hall can be seen part of Swede Hollow (Svenska Dalen), where many Swedes first settled before they moved on to other places. The old houses are gone; the area is now a city park. Nearby Payne Avenue was a major commercial center for St. Paul’s Swedish residents, who began to arrive in St. Paul in 1852, two years after Fredrika Bremer made her visit. By 1930 almost 18,000 people born in Sweden or of Swedish ancestry lived in Ramsey County.