Lund
Elgin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First known as Pleasant Hill, this community was settled by Swedish immigrants in the late 1880s. The name of the settlement eventually was changed to Lund in honor of a city in southern Sweden. Under the leadership of the Rev. J.A. Stamline, the Swedish Evangelical Bethlehem Lutheran Church was founded on January 16, 1897. The Lund community included homes, farms, cotton gins, a general store, blacksmith shop, post office, and school. A tornado destroyed the church building on April 7, 1980. A new structure was built and dedicated in 1981.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
First called Pleasant Hill, this Travis County community was settled by Swedish immigrants in the late 1880s and later renamed Lund after a city in southern Sweden. Under the Rev. J.A. Stamline, its Swedish Evangelical Bethlehem Lutheran Church was founded in 1897, anchoring a settlement of farms, cotton gins, a general store, a blacksmith, a post office, and a school. A tornado destroyed the church in 1980, and a new one was dedicated the following year.
Why it matters
Lund is one of the many Swedish farming colonies that gave central Texas a distinct Scandinavian imprint during the great wave of European immigration.
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Related people
- · J.A. Stamline
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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