How we began. . .
In May 12, 1869 a group of 63 persons left the small village of Venjan, Sweden and emigrated to the United States of America. Once they had arrived they traveled to Minnesota in search of land. They found land in Maple Ridge Township in Isanti county, Minnesota to settle. By September, 1869 they had acquired property and settled in for the winter until the next spring when they could help each other build homes for all the different families. The life of the early settlers was far from being an easy one. Though the early settlers may not have had much of the material goods and conveniences, they carried with them a faith in God which helped them overcome all obstacles. They met in homes on Sunday, read the Postilla and soon began to talk about organizing a congregation and building a church.
On Sunday January 25, 1874 an announcement was made that on February 17, 1874 a meeting would be held for the purpose of organizing a congregation. This meeting was held in the home of Sigfrid Anderson who came to Maple Ridge in 1868 one year before the rest came from Venjan in 1869. The chairman at this meeting was Pastor Anders Engdahl. The name chosen was “Svenska Evangeliska Lutherska Salems Forsamling” (“Salem” is the ancient name of Jerusalem, meaning Peace). It was also decided to join the Augustana Synod.
Pastor Anders Engdahl served the congregation until June, 1883. He preached every fourth Sunday. The deacons conducted the services on Sundays when no pastor was present. At a special meeting held on January 11, 1883 a call was extended to theology student John Peter Leaf to become the first resident pastor of the congregation after he would be ordained. This call was accepted and he took up his work as pastor in June of 1883.
First plans to build a church were made at the annual meeting in 1878. These plans were carried out and the first church building was built in 1879. The land was donated for the church building by the Andrew Sohlberg family.
The first Parsonage was built in 1885.
The cemetery land was donated by the family of Djus Olof Mattson or he went by the name D. O. Mattson. He is buried in the north east part of cemetery. There is a metal urn that has his name on it and someone plants flowers in the urn every year at Memorial Day. With the cemetery being surveyed and plotted into 16 foot x 16 foot plots in 1886.
On May 26th 1891 Pastor Leif helped some of the members of Salem organize the Siloa Lutheran Church. These two churches shared the Pastor until January 1983 when Siloa Church decided to call an interim Pastor Reverend Terry Frovik of Mound, Minnesota.
The sacristy and steeple were added in 1896. During Pastor Leaf’s pastorate, some important steps were taken to promote Christian education among the parishioners. A Sunday school was established for some time before 1888. A two-month Swedish summer school was organized. In 1889 there were 40 children in 9 classes attending Sunday School.
In 1897, the church library was organized. Pastor Leaf was also instrumental in organizing the first women’s organizations.
The 25th anniversary of the church was observed on June 21, 1899. In August of 1899, the church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Worship services were held in the Swedish Baptist church of Dalbo. On August 7, 1899 a special meeting was called to make plans for a new church building. The finest lumber was carefully selected and donated from the farm of Carl and Mathilda Krona who lived by Stanchfield Lake to be the frame work of the church. Carl’s fine wood can be seen in the woodwork, especially the altar ring and the casings for the stain glass windows. Eric Israel was hired to do the carpenter work including the altar and the pointed casings for the stained glass windows. Carl Krafve had charge of the brick laying, donating much of the work. The brick used came from Cambridge, Minnesota where there was brick made along the Rum River. Cambridge City Park is located there now. The new church was to be larger than the old, sixty by thirty six with a tower and the front to have three sides. The present church building was erected in 1900-1901.
It is Pastor Eric Peterson to whom we are indebted for the stained glass windows in the church, and it is he who chose the Bible quotations inscribed thereon. Pastor Peterson served the Salem congregation from 1898 to 1901.
On March 2, 1902 a special meeting was held and decided that Reverend C. B. L. Bowman would install the pulpit, altar table and statue of Christ at a cost of $180.00. The statue, one of his most admired, is a reproduction by “the greatest of sculptors” Bertil Thorwaldson, a Dane. It bears the inscription, “Come unto me all ye that labor, and I will give you rest.”
The church building was dedicated in 1902. The total cost of the church building including all church furniture was estimated in 1904 to be $4,671.16.
A bell weighing 1,050 lbs was purchased and installed in 1911 and a new organ was also installed. A new parsonage, garage and barn were built during 1913-1917. Gas lights were added in 1916. In 1936 the parsonage was moved. Electric lights were put in the parsonage. During the years 1923-1933 a new furnace was purchased for the church, electric lights were installed and the interior of the church was renovated and painted.
Since December 1942, Swedish services have been discontinued.
The 75th anniversary of the church was observed in 1949.
An annex corner stone was laid on June 3, 1956. A new parish hall was built and dedicated on June 12, 1957. In 1959, a new acoustic ceiling and a new floor were installed.
In 1960 the sacristy “Old Kitchen” was rebuilt into three Sunday school rooms and a church office.
New Pews were purchased at a cost of $3,755.00 and installed in 1962. The parsonage was remodeled in 1968 and plans were under way at that time to build a basement under the parish hall for additional Sunday School rooms.
On Sunday June 13, 1971 a dedication ceremony for the new basement and Sunday school rooms was held. A new Rogers organ was installed in 1973.
On Sunday February 17, 1974 Salem Church held a community service to celebrate it’s 100th birthday. June 16-23, 1974 had been set aside for observance of Salem Lutheran Church’s Centennial Celebration organized around the theme “Eternal Heritage in Christ.” A book by the same name was published as well. Mrs Eugene Shugren was chairman of the Historical Committee that collected the information for the book which was written by Ann Lewis*, who was also a descendant of the charter members of the church.
As early as 1988 plans were being considered to expand the size of the Church. In 1991, construction was started to increase the size of the fellowship hall and add class rooms and storage rooms in the basement. We also increased the size of the narthex and added a nursery, church office and a pastor’s office. This was completed and the new addition was dedicated on February 16, 1992.
In the year 1995 Salem started a pre-school program that went on for 20 years until 2015.
On September 23, 2015 Salem Church received a special gift of a Sherman Clay baby grand piano. It was donated to the church by the Hornicke family.
In the spring of 2019 the drop ceiling in the sanctuary started to deteriorate. After a few months of worship in the fellowship hall, and with a lot of hard work from the parishioners at Salem and some help from local companies we were able to remove the drop ceiling, rewire the electrical, patch the cracks in the ceiling, re-insulate the old dome ceiling, and update the sound system. The sanctuary is back to the original dome ceiling and was dedicated during worship on Sunday, January 12th, 2020.
*Ann Lewis is the pen name for lone Clarabelle Peterson née Hall.
On Sunday January 25, 1874 an announcement was made that on February 17, 1874 a meeting would be held for the purpose of organizing a congregation. This meeting was held in the home of Sigfrid Anderson who came to Maple Ridge in 1868 one year before the rest came from Venjan in 1869. The chairman at this meeting was Pastor Anders Engdahl. The name chosen was “Svenska Evangeliska Lutherska Salems Forsamling” (“Salem” is the ancient name of Jerusalem, meaning Peace). It was also decided to join the Augustana Synod.
Pastor Anders Engdahl served the congregation until June, 1883. He preached every fourth Sunday. The deacons conducted the services on Sundays when no pastor was present. At a special meeting held on January 11, 1883 a call was extended to theology student John Peter Leaf to become the first resident pastor of the congregation after he would be ordained. This call was accepted and he took up his work as pastor in June of 1883.
First plans to build a church were made at the annual meeting in 1878. These plans were carried out and the first church building was built in 1879. The land was donated for the church building by the Andrew Sohlberg family.
The first Parsonage was built in 1885.
The cemetery land was donated by the family of Djus Olof Mattson or he went by the name D. O. Mattson. He is buried in the north east part of cemetery. There is a metal urn that has his name on it and someone plants flowers in the urn every year at Memorial Day. With the cemetery being surveyed and plotted into 16 foot x 16 foot plots in 1886.
On May 26th 1891 Pastor Leif helped some of the members of Salem organize the Siloa Lutheran Church. These two churches shared the Pastor until January 1983 when Siloa Church decided to call an interim Pastor Reverend Terry Frovik of Mound, Minnesota.
The sacristy and steeple were added in 1896. During Pastor Leaf’s pastorate, some important steps were taken to promote Christian education among the parishioners. A Sunday school was established for some time before 1888. A two-month Swedish summer school was organized. In 1889 there were 40 children in 9 classes attending Sunday School.
In 1897, the church library was organized. Pastor Leaf was also instrumental in organizing the first women’s organizations.
The 25th anniversary of the church was observed on June 21, 1899. In August of 1899, the church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Worship services were held in the Swedish Baptist church of Dalbo. On August 7, 1899 a special meeting was called to make plans for a new church building. The finest lumber was carefully selected and donated from the farm of Carl and Mathilda Krona who lived by Stanchfield Lake to be the frame work of the church. Carl’s fine wood can be seen in the woodwork, especially the altar ring and the casings for the stain glass windows. Eric Israel was hired to do the carpenter work including the altar and the pointed casings for the stained glass windows. Carl Krafve had charge of the brick laying, donating much of the work. The brick used came from Cambridge, Minnesota where there was brick made along the Rum River. Cambridge City Park is located there now. The new church was to be larger than the old, sixty by thirty six with a tower and the front to have three sides. The present church building was erected in 1900-1901.
It is Pastor Eric Peterson to whom we are indebted for the stained glass windows in the church, and it is he who chose the Bible quotations inscribed thereon. Pastor Peterson served the Salem congregation from 1898 to 1901.
On March 2, 1902 a special meeting was held and decided that Reverend C. B. L. Bowman would install the pulpit, altar table and statue of Christ at a cost of $180.00. The statue, one of his most admired, is a reproduction by “the greatest of sculptors” Bertil Thorwaldson, a Dane. It bears the inscription, “Come unto me all ye that labor, and I will give you rest.”
The church building was dedicated in 1902. The total cost of the church building including all church furniture was estimated in 1904 to be $4,671.16.
A bell weighing 1,050 lbs was purchased and installed in 1911 and a new organ was also installed. A new parsonage, garage and barn were built during 1913-1917. Gas lights were added in 1916. In 1936 the parsonage was moved. Electric lights were put in the parsonage. During the years 1923-1933 a new furnace was purchased for the church, electric lights were installed and the interior of the church was renovated and painted.
Since December 1942, Swedish services have been discontinued.
The 75th anniversary of the church was observed in 1949.
An annex corner stone was laid on June 3, 1956. A new parish hall was built and dedicated on June 12, 1957. In 1959, a new acoustic ceiling and a new floor were installed.
In 1960 the sacristy “Old Kitchen” was rebuilt into three Sunday school rooms and a church office.
New Pews were purchased at a cost of $3,755.00 and installed in 1962. The parsonage was remodeled in 1968 and plans were under way at that time to build a basement under the parish hall for additional Sunday School rooms.
On Sunday June 13, 1971 a dedication ceremony for the new basement and Sunday school rooms was held. A new Rogers organ was installed in 1973.
On Sunday February 17, 1974 Salem Church held a community service to celebrate it’s 100th birthday. June 16-23, 1974 had been set aside for observance of Salem Lutheran Church’s Centennial Celebration organized around the theme “Eternal Heritage in Christ.” A book by the same name was published as well. Mrs Eugene Shugren was chairman of the Historical Committee that collected the information for the book which was written by Ann Lewis*, who was also a descendant of the charter members of the church.
As early as 1988 plans were being considered to expand the size of the Church. In 1991, construction was started to increase the size of the fellowship hall and add class rooms and storage rooms in the basement. We also increased the size of the narthex and added a nursery, church office and a pastor’s office. This was completed and the new addition was dedicated on February 16, 1992.
In the year 1995 Salem started a pre-school program that went on for 20 years until 2015.
On September 23, 2015 Salem Church received a special gift of a Sherman Clay baby grand piano. It was donated to the church by the Hornicke family.
In the spring of 2019 the drop ceiling in the sanctuary started to deteriorate. After a few months of worship in the fellowship hall, and with a lot of hard work from the parishioners at Salem and some help from local companies we were able to remove the drop ceiling, rewire the electrical, patch the cracks in the ceiling, re-insulate the old dome ceiling, and update the sound system. The sanctuary is back to the original dome ceiling and was dedicated during worship on Sunday, January 12th, 2020.
*Ann Lewis is the pen name for lone Clarabelle Peterson née Hall.
