125th Anniversary (1884-2009) First Lutheran Church

This pamplet was prepared for the 1984 bicentennial celebration by the congregation of First Lutheran Church. An electronic copy of this pamplet is available here. This pamplet contains historical photographs, information about the history of the congregation and personal stories about the growth and development of the congregation.

Click the icon to the side to download an electronic copy of this document. Be certain that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer so that you are able to read and access the document.

History of First Lutheran Church - Astoria, Oregon

First Lutheran Church began as the Norwegian Lutheran Church, built in the 1880s by a small number of Scandinavian residents who lived mainly between 31st and 34th Streets in Astoria, Oregon.

The church's first place of worship, was built in 1888 on the upper portion of a lot at 29th Street and Grand Avenue, four blocks from the present building. Later, the small chapel was incorporated into a church built on the lower portion of the same lot. The church, dedicated on May 8, 1893, was built by the men of the Norwegian Lutheran congregation, who carried lumber on their backs up three hills from the millpond five blocks away, where Mill Pond Village now stands. They were strong men who fished in small sailing boats on the river. Fittingly, the cross in the church's tower became a landmark that guided fishermen to shore (see Daily Astorian 1/23/2009 for article).

The current church is built four blocks from the original building at its current location on 33rd Street in Astoria. The first service in the current building was Palm Sunday, April 10, 1954.