Curtiss, Wisconsin Norwegian Lutheran

Fiftieth Anniversary

 Transcribed by Stan Schwarze.

The Curtiss Evangelical Lutheran congregation, which on next Sunday celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, was organized on Feb. 8, 1885, by a group of early Norse settlers.  These people had been going to Dorchester to church,  In 1881 a missionary pastor, Rev. N. Forde, came from Amherst to hold services among the settlers at Curtiss.  He encouraged them to organize a congregation of their own, which a small group did.  They adopted a constitution and elected a set of officers.

For several years the congregation had to worship in school houses, either in Curtiss or in one of the building in the district now called Midway.  Soon land for a building site and a cemetery was given to the congregation by a Mr. Withee, and on this site a church was erected.  The building was dedicated in 1899.  A tornado destroyed the building in 1905.  In 1907 a new building was erected, which is still the congregation’s house of worship.

A Ladies Aid society was organized in 1893, which has been active and of much help to the congregation ever since.  There are 35 members in that organization at the present time.

Another auxiliary in the congregation is the Young People’s society, which began its activities in 1907, it had been active most of the time since organized.

A month of school is conducted for the children each summer, that they may have religious training.  A Sunday School also is conducted for this same purpose.

A choir and a mixed quartet occasionally furnish music for regular services and special occasions.

The pastors who have served this congregation and the approximate years of their services is as follows:

• N. Forde, 1881 – 1892

• I. G. Monson, 1892-1893

• T. Saetveit, 1893 – 1898

• Th. Fretheim, 1898 – 1900

• H. Nileson, 1900 – 1904

• T. S. Reishus, 1905 – 1917

• H. P. Nordby, 1917 – 1921

• I.D. Dahl, 1922 – 1923

• A. C. Odden, 1924 – 1927

• J. Skagen, 1927 – 1929

• W. L. Anderson, 1930 - present

Source: Owen Enterprise (Owen, Clark Co., Wis.) 07/25/1935