Cordelia Church

Cordelia Lutheran is the oldest Lutheran building in the State of Idaho (established in 1883). The church was home to the first Swedish congregation in Idaho, organized in 1880 by Rev. Peter Carlson. The congregation was known as "The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Cordelia, Nez Perce County, Idaho Territory" but history has shortened it to Cordelia Lutheran.

The charter member families of the congregation were C.P. Anderson, C.J. Linquist, Isaak Linquist, O. Westendahl, Julius Schumacher, John W. Carlson, Andrew E. Carlson, John Turner, E.G. Peterson, Edwin Peterson, Carl Andrew Hagstrom, and Peter Mortenson.

The basic structure of the church and cemetery remains almost intact in the original state. All but two pews were in the 1883 church and there was a pump organ. The pulpit was added in 1903. A horse shed and pit toilets were on the property. The cemetery had more graves than the five presently known (four headstones). Several graves were moved when the church stopped holding services in 1918. In 1995, the church was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Pastors serving Cordelia included Peter Carlson (1880-1892), Carl A. Ramstedt (1892-1894), Carl J. Beckman (1894-1900), N.J.W. Nelson (1900-1909), George A. Johnson (1909-1917), and John Oslund (1917-1918). Pastors serving Cordelia also served Zion Lutheran of Moscow, the old name for First Lutheran now merged into Emmanuel Lutheran.

The church remains open to visitors. We are always looking for historic photos of Cordelia and people involved with Cordelia. Cordelia Lutheran is available for weddings, vow renewals, and family gatherings.