San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Photo Place.....Bethel Luteran Church 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 23, 2006, 10:28 pm

Source:             Discovering San Luis Obispo County
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http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanluisobispo/photos/bethellu50gph.jpg
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BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH Templeton, California

History and Description:

The Bethel Lutheran Church stands in the tree-shaded residential section of
Templeton, California.  One is immediately struck by the complete simplicity of
the structure and then is drawn, without resistance, to enter and experience the
warmth the church radiates. One can feel the effort and fellowship that went
into the making of this structure by the Swedish community in 1887.  The entire
community worked together, making the bricks at the nearby river bank and
constructing it according to their memories of similar structures in the old
country, without the aid of an architect.  One of the members who used to be a
carpenter, hand carved the chancel rail and the pulpit.  Upon completion, the
church served the Swedish population of the entire county and all services were
in Swedish right up until about 1935.

The only decoration in the simple design is formed by the arrangement of brick.
 The 20-inch-thick masonry walls enclose the single 40' x 60' room.  The windows
are gothic, with the pointed arch, and there is a small apse at the far end for
the altar.  The ceiling follows the steep pitch of the roof.  The interior walls
are very simple plaster with redwood wainscoting 3 feet high.  The bell, which
was said to have a very sweet tone, was made in Sweden and paid for by the money
raised by the young people's Lutheran League.  The original church did not have
a steeple.

Sources:
Templeton-Today and Yesterday, by Josephine Gilfillan 
Mrs. Hampton, Librarian, Templeton Library 
Louisiana Dart, Curator, San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Discovering San Luis Obispo County
by
Carleton M. Winslow

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanluisobispo/photos/bethellu50gph.txt

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