bigpigeon.us webpage St. Paul's > St. Paul's Timeline, updated by RAC 11 Feb 2020.
Timeline - The first 50 years, 1881 - 1930:
1880 Niels Nielsen from northwestern Norwalk Township pleads with seminary student G. B. Christiansen to establish a Danish Lutheran church in the area.
1881 St. Paul’s congregation organized with assistance of Rev. G. B. Christiansen.
1883 Two acres of land purchased from Lars Rasmussen for a church and cemetery. The first church, 36 x 22 feet, erected in the middle of what became the cemetery.
1900 First long-term residential pastor, Rev. Gudmund Grill, is paid $400 annually. Prior to this, St. Paul's was sometimes served by the pastor of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs.
1900 First parsonage built on a half-acre bought from Lars Rasmussen. Earlier pastors had sometimes lived in a neighborhood house provided by a congregant.
1903 Articles of Incorporation filed for St. Paul's.
1905 Current church erected. The church resembles the now-abandoned Ingemann Lutheran Church west of Moorhead, Iowa. While the new church was constructed, the congregation may have worshipped at the Adventist church a quarter mile to the west on the Lars Rasmussen property. (There was also a R.L.D.S church just northwest of the Adventist church on the Lars Peter Larson farm. The R.L.D.S. church was moved to Hazel Dell in 1929, became the Hazel Dell Township hall in 1941, and was sold to Rick Larson in 2008.)
1913 English school during winter 1913-1914 for new young male Danish immigrants.
1917 World War I restrictions on using foreign languages in public, including Danish, imposed by Governor Harding.
c 1918 Electric plant with batteries installed.
1920 Current parsonage erected. The old parsonage was moved east and south to the C. P. T. Nelson farm where it sat unused.
1930 The electric highline is constructed past St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s goes “on the grid”, selling their light plant.
1931 50th anniversary of St. Paul’s. A commemorative booklet was produced.
Timeline - The second fifty years, 1931 - 1980:
1940 Last regular service held in Danish.
1940 Horse barn torn down by Rudolph Jensen.
1944 Major remodeling of St. Paul’s including indoor restrooms and an oil furnace.
1944? Parking area expanded by another purchase of Rasmussen family land.
1950 Church building lengthened by sixteen feet.
1956 75th anniversary of St. Paul’s. A commemorative booklet was produced.
19?? Road past St. Paul’s graveled from the county road to the cemetery.
195? Sunday School rooms added on west side of basement.
1981 100th anniversary of St. Paul’s. A commemorative booklet was produced.
Timeline - The third fifty years, 1981 - 2030:
~2000 No regular pastor. Rev. Charles Bichel begins serving as interim pastor.
~2005 After not having a resident pastor for several years, Rev. Sara Jensen was called.
2006 Paul Christoffersen tore down the dilapidated original church, which sat for 100 years on the William Driver (later the Royer farm) east and north of St. Paul’s. Paul used some of the lumber to make commemorative items for the 125th anniversary.
2017 Rev. Norm Jelken has been pastor for several years.
Want to add to this chronology? Please contact me. I’ve left space on this page for your suggestions.
Contact Information
1880 Niels Nielsen from northwestern Norwalk Township pleads with seminary student G. B. Christiansen to establish a Danish Lutheran church in the area.
1881 St. Paul’s congregation organized with assistance of Rev. G. B. Christiansen.
1883 Two acres of land purchased from Lars Rasmussen for a church and cemetery. The first church, 36 x 22 feet, erected in the middle of what became the cemetery.
1900 First long-term residential pastor, Rev. Gudmund Grill, is paid $400 annually. Prior to this, St. Paul's was sometimes served by the pastor of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs.
1900 First parsonage built on a half-acre bought from Lars Rasmussen. Earlier pastors had sometimes lived in a neighborhood house provided by a congregant.
1903 Articles of Incorporation filed for St. Paul's.
1905 Current church erected. The church resembles the now-abandoned Ingemann Lutheran Church west of Moorhead, Iowa. While the new church was constructed, the congregation may have worshipped at the Adventist church a quarter mile to the west on the Lars Rasmussen property. (There was also a R.L.D.S church just northwest of the Adventist church on the Lars Peter Larson farm. The R.L.D.S. church was moved to Hazel Dell in 1929, became the Hazel Dell Township hall in 1941, and was sold to Rick Larson in 2008.)
1913 English school during winter 1913-1914 for new young male Danish immigrants.
1917 World War I restrictions on using foreign languages in public, including Danish, imposed by Governor Harding.
c 1918 Electric plant with batteries installed.
1920 Current parsonage erected. The old parsonage was moved east and south to the C. P. T. Nelson farm where it sat unused.
1930 The electric highline is constructed past St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s goes “on the grid”, selling their light plant.
1931 50th anniversary of St. Paul’s. A commemorative booklet was produced.
Timeline - The second fifty years, 1931 - 1980:
1940 Last regular service held in Danish.
1940 Horse barn torn down by Rudolph Jensen.
1944 Major remodeling of St. Paul’s including indoor restrooms and an oil furnace.
1944? Parking area expanded by another purchase of Rasmussen family land.
1950 Church building lengthened by sixteen feet.
1956 75th anniversary of St. Paul’s. A commemorative booklet was produced.
19?? Road past St. Paul’s graveled from the county road to the cemetery.
195? Sunday School rooms added on west side of basement.
1981 100th anniversary of St. Paul’s. A commemorative booklet was produced.
Timeline - The third fifty years, 1981 - 2030:
~2000 No regular pastor. Rev. Charles Bichel begins serving as interim pastor.
~2005 After not having a resident pastor for several years, Rev. Sara Jensen was called.
2006 Paul Christoffersen tore down the dilapidated original church, which sat for 100 years on the William Driver (later the Royer farm) east and north of St. Paul’s. Paul used some of the lumber to make commemorative items for the 125th anniversary.
2017 Rev. Norm Jelken has been pastor for several years.
Want to add to this chronology? Please contact me. I’ve left space on this page for your suggestions.
Contact Information
- St. Paul's is about eight miles west of Neola, Iowa with website www.stpaulsneola.org, e-mail stpauls@loganet.net and phone 402.290.6423.
- I will be glad to take your inquires about the early families of St. Paul's, and especially their roots in Denmark. You can fill out and submit a Contact Form.
- However, Paul Christoffersen knows more than I do about St. Paul's and still lives in the St. Paul's area!