Augustana Swedish Lutheran Church is in Eddy County, about seven and a half miles southwest of Sheyenne, North Dakota. Two other places we’ve photographed — Bremen and Hamberg — are just a short drive away.
An obituary for Astrid Nelson Salmonson published in the Fargo Forum in 2002 reveals interesting details about Mrs. Salmonson’s young life in Grandfield Township, and the history of this beautifully constructed church.
She was born on the prairie, February 7th, 1909. Her father, Anders Gustav Nilson, had helped build this church, and she was baptized and confirmed, in the Swedish language, in this building. Astrid agreed to marry Vernon Salmonson in 1935, and their wedding ceremony was the first held in this church.
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This church is part of the Sheyenne Lutheran Parish which includes about a half-dozen other congregations in the area. Sheyenne Lutheran Church celebrated a centennial in 2007, and the article from the Benson County News sheds a little light on this church’s history.
This church was so beautiful, we plan to feature it in a future book. Check out our Ghosts of North Dakota hardcover coffee table books.
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, copyright Sonic Tremor Media
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Ghosts of North Dakota 
“Augustana” was a commonly used name among Swedish Lutheran churches that were part of a church body bearing that name and was used to indicate a congregation’s membership in that church body (read more here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustana_Synod) . The name change for this particular church probably coincided with their joining of this church body.
I’m not saying that’s what really happened, but I’d bet money that it was.
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The Greenfield church referred to in the article is Grandfield Church, the Norwegian Lutheran Church, several miles away from Augustana and still in existance. Augustana is/was Swedish Lutheran, and the name was always Augustana.
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Thank you for the clarification.
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Does anyone have some more pictures of this church and area? My wifes great grandfather helped build this church and he is buried there and so is her grandfather
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This church was built by my family the Matsons and the Seastrands. My cousin Alyn still lives down the road a few miles on the home place.
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I missed this post initially but I’m so pleased to have stumbled upon it. This is the church my grandfather Bruce Larson grew up in. His whole family is buried in the cemetery there – we just laid my grandmother Charlotte Larson to rest there last summer. The last time I was inside was during the 1980s for my great uncle Chester Larson’s funeral. Anyway, I think it’s a beautiful old church in a very picturesque part of North Dakota. Thanks for the great photos – they are better than the iphone photos I snapped this spring!
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My Mother was Astrid Nilson Salmonson and was very proud to be the first person married in the church, At that time people were married in their homes My entire family is buried there and growing up. We celebrated every big event in that church. I remember celebrating the anniversary Of George and Mildred (Nilson) Moore, The church is very close to my heart.
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Do you know when this church near Sheyenne, ND was built?
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