The two storied home of the Ringness family served as the site of the first Norwegian Lutheran church service in Central Texas on January 10, 1867. The house also served as the home of Kari and Jens Ringness and their seven children.
The Ringness family arrived in Texas from Hedmark county in Norway in 1851. Leaving their farm at Løten near the city of Hamar they first settled in Normandy/Brownsboro which was the first Norwegian settlement in Texas. They moved to Prairieville and from there to Bosque County with a small band of Norwegians. Their son Gunerius, born in 1855, was the first child born to Norwegian parents in Bosque County. One of the children, Ole Ringness who was born in Norway was the first mail carrier between Bosque County and Fort Worth. He is credited with the invention of the disk plow.
The site of the Ringness home is located on a farm owned by Don and Alice Brandenberg. In 2000 the Brandenberg family donated the old stone structure of Jens Ringness' house and the site to The Norwegian Society of Texas (NST).
"The Ringness project is of great significance to Norwegian immigration history in Texas and is an important contribution to support and strenghten the Norwegian heritage in the South and Southwest" Consul General Svein Holst Andreassen says.
The NST is now raising funds for Phase Two of the project which will entail roofing of the structure and the replacement of windows and doors.
Donations may be made to:
Jens Ringness Restoration Fund
c/o Betty Tindall
7010 CR 309
Cranfills Gap, TX 76637-4045