Hope Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)

When the Nortern Pacific Railway Company built their Northwest terminus repair shops in south Tacoma in 1892, there were a lot of Scandinavians among those who worked there. A group of families decided that a Norwegian church was needed, and established it in 1902 under the direction of pastors in the area. The church was organized with assistane from the Home Missions. Ground was purchased and a basement built where services were held for a number of years beginning in 1908. In 1917, the english language was introduced for services, supplanting Norwegian. The church debt was paid and the mortgage burned in May of 1927. Groundbreaking for the present church was held February 26, 1956. The original church was sold and the new sanctuary was dedicated on the 50th Anniversary of the congregation, November 18, 1956.