Preston Church

September 11, 2009

For devout Lutheran settlers of the late 1880’s, cultivating spiritual life through church communities was a priority almost as important as building their own homes and farms. Even before church buildings were constructed, congregations were organized and services were held in homes and schoolhouses, even outside in summer. Instrumental in establishing these churches were Lutheran missionaries, many of whom were recent Norwegian immigrants themselves, looking for a congregation to serve.

The Preston Church (1898) was built in downtown Preston N.D. one of over 1,000 ghost towns in the state. Today this church is the only building left of the town, which is about five miles north of Ft. Ransom. It is important to remember that five miles was about the limit of travel in those days of horse and wagon and towns were located about five to 15 miles distance from each other. Today there is no need for that many towns. Just think, for people from Preston to go to church in Ft. Ransom, it would have taken all day with two and a half hours of travel by horse and wagon each way.

On Christmas Day in 1881, Rev. Johannes D. Bothne, a young missionary, met with a group of local residents in a small log cabin about two miles south of here. Rev. Bothne preached a service followed by an invitation to form a congregation. The locals accepted even though they had been together for 17 years without a minister. They continued to meet in homes and schoolhouses for another 17 years until a church was built in 1898.

The original church was much larger with a tall steeple. It burned to the ground in 1953. The church pictured here was completed in 1956 and continues to be active after 110 years.