Sunday Best - St. Olafe's Kirke

Located 3 miles outside Cranfills Gap, TX, St. Olaf's Kirke offers a picturesque view of the Texas Hill Country. The Lutheran church finds its roots... more

by Stephen Stookey

Title

Sunday Best - St. Olafe's Kirke

Artist

Stephen Stookey

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Located 3 miles outside Cranfills Gap, TX, St. Olaf's Kirke offers a picturesque view of the Texas Hill Country. The Lutheran church finds its roots amidst the Norwegian settlers of Bosque County (Texas) in 1854. Settlers worked Monday-Saturday and reserved Sunday for rest and worship. Homes served as the congregation's gathering points until St. Olaf's Church--The Rock Church--was built in 1886. Volunteer builders hauled stone from the mountain to the south. With neither running water nor electricity the church is heated by a large wood-burning stove. The sounds of the late 19th century Vocalion Reed Pump Organ fills the sanctuary for special services and weddings. Restored in 2010 St. Olaf's pews, floors and light fixtures are original. The church's Swedish bell, purchased in 1897 by the Ladies Aid Organization, still hangs in the tower. Membership growth necessitated a 'new' St. Olaf's Church in Cranfils Gap, with the old Rock Church utilized for special services--Christmas Eve, Easter, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. The old cemetery adjacent to the Rock Church holds almost 3,000 spaces. Reflecting the Norse heritage of the church and area, services were conducted in Norwegian into the 1940s.

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Uploaded

November 2nd, 2021