The Bertelsen House
Cranfills Gap, Bosque County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The stone portion of this house was erected in the 1880s for Norwegian settler Andres Johnson. The builder was probably Andrew Mickelson, who erected other structures in the community. Bertel and Christena Bertelsen bought the property in 1894 and enlarged the stone portion. They built a frame addition about 1910 for their large family of 18 children. Ownership of the home remained with the Bertelsen family until 1977. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1979
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The stone portion of this house was raised in the 1880s for Norwegian settler Andres Johnson, likely by builder Andrew Mickelson, who worked on other structures in the community. In 1894 Bertel and Christena Bertelsen bought the property, enlarged the stone house, and around 1910 added a frame wing to hold their family of eighteen children. The home stayed with the Bertelsen family until 1977.
Why it matters
The house reflects the Norwegian immigrant communities that put down deep roots in central Texas, blending Old World stonecraft with frontier family life.
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Related people
- · Andres Johnson
- · Andrew Mickelson
- · Bertel Bertelsen
- · Christena Bertelsen
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Rock Church - St. Olaf Lutheran Congregation
Cranfills Gap, TX
The Rock Church was raised in 1886 from native stone by architect Andrew Mickelson and his brothers Christian and Ole, beginning humbly with a dirt floor and planks laid across kegs for pews. It served the Norwegian settlers of this Bosque County community, an offshoot of Our Savior's Lutheran Church at nearby Norse. As the settlement grew, the St. Olaf congregation organized in 1902 and later built a new church in Cranfills Gap, leaving this sturdy stone sanctuary for special occasions.
St. Olaf Lutheran Church
Cranfills Gap, TX
When Norwegian immigrants settled Bosque County beginning in 1854, Lutheranism became the region's dominant faith. In 1886 they built St. Olaf Kirke—the beloved "Old Rock Church"—named for Norway's patron saint, and in 1917 raised a Romanesque Revival "Brick Church" hailed as the costliest and largest rural Lutheran church in the county. Services were held in Norwegian until 1927, and the congregation still keeps its Norwegian heritage alive today.
Jens Jenson Homestead
Clifton, TX
Jens Jenson came to Bosque County in 1854 with his Norwegian immigrant family, went to sea out of Galveston, and served in the Confederate Army before settling to farm. Beginning with a single stone room in 1867, he expanded the house as his family grew to eleven children, and his descendants have farmed the ancestral acres ever since.
Homestead of Knud S. Knudson
Cranfills Gap, TX
Norwegian immigrant Knud S. Knudson brought his family to Bosque County in 1868, received a state land grant, and built a farm at this site. A small 1860s log home was later enlarged with a limestone addition, and the farmstead, with its home, barns, and outbuildings, stayed in the family until 1945. It survives as a fine example of a rural Norwegian vernacular farm complex.