Easter Sunday in 1936 at First Lutheran Church. Members of the congregation gather on the sidewalk and steps of the church for Easter services. Building by Heath, Gove and Bell, Architects.

Holidays--Tacoma--1930-1940; Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

First Lutheran Church, confirmation picture. A group of young people pose in white confirmation robes. The boys have suits and ties underneath the robes; the girls have corsages pinned to the robes.

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Confirmations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Spalding-Welk wedding party. Inez Spalding and Gerhard Welk were married October 4, 1952 at the First Lutheran Church. They made their first home in Tillicum. The bride was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph C. Spalding. The groom was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Welk. The bride wore a gown of satin and lace in blush pink with a pink tulle veil. Her attendants were dressed in pastel green. Her sister Caroline Spalding was the maid of honor. Other attendants were Donna Jones, Doreen LeClef, Delores Welk, Mary Collings and Doris Greninger. Vickie Moon was the flower girl and Charles Apple was the ring bearer. The candelighters Martha Flickinger and Rosemary Zeigler were dressed in yellow. (TNT 10/19/1952, pg. D-5)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Spalding, Inez; Welk, Gerhard; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma;

Easter Sunday in 1939 at churches. The congregation of the First (Evangelical) Lutheran Church is photographed after services and shown mingling on the sidewalks and steps. 1930s automobiles on street. General view of building with corner steeple, by Heath and Gove, Architects; 1926. Construction of the massive tapestry brick with Tenino stone trim building commenced in late 1925 and was completed in early 1929. It had a large Scandinavian congregation. (T. Times)

Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Easter--Tacoma; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Easter Sunday at First Lutheran Church. Choir singing in alcove under stained-glass window.. Building by Heath and Gove, Architects; 1926. (T. Times)

Religious Buildings - Churches - Protestant Churches - Lutheran Churches - Tacoma - First Lutheran ChurchEvents - Holidays - Easter

Helen Clarice McCrea and Russell L. Smith were married October 6, 1951, at First Lutheran Church. Helen is the daughter of Mrs. Mabel A. Mc Crea and G.R. McCrea. Russell is the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Smith. The bride wore a gown of white silk over embroidery sent to her from a friend in Japan. The dress was fashioned with a scalloped neckline, hoop skirt and court-length train. Her pearl choker was a gift of the bridegroom and she carried a Bible of white satin which had belonged to her mother and was topped with white orchids and stephanotis. Helen attended Lincoln High School and the Northwest Institute of Medical Technology in Minneapolis and Russell attended Clover Park and was in the US Marine Corps. (TNT, 10/7/1951, p.D-4)

Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; McCrea, Helen Clarice--Marriage; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma;

A beaming bride feeds wedding cake to her new groom in a wedding photograph taken in the summer of 1951. She carefully inserts a small piece of cake into the waiting groom's mouth during the wedding reception. Dorthea Parker wed Robert Martin during an evening ceremony on August 18, 1951, at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church. The bride is wearing a satin and lace gown with long, transparent sleeves and a fingertip veil. (TNT 8-26-51, D-6)

Parker, Dorthea--Marriage; Martin, Robert; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Receptions; Eating & drinking;

First Lutheran Church, taken in April of 1936. General view of brick church by Heath, Gove and Bell, Architects. Construction on the church began in 1925 with the church completed in 1929. Photograph is also numbered D2519 image 11. (photo copied for T. Times, Special Edition Jan or Feb of 1940)

Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

On October 17, 1942, the congregation of the First Lutheran Church posed in front of the exterior of the church, celebrating the congregation's 60th anniversary. The church had been organized on October 17, 1882 as a small missionary enterprise by the Rev. Peter Carlson and eleven Swedish and five Norwegian families. The Norwegians later left to form their own church. The original church at South 8th and I St. burned to the ground in November of 1924. This Gothic stone structure was completed in 1929 and was built from a design by Heath, Gove & Bell. (TNT 10/17/1942, pg. 11)

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma;

Patricia Price and John W. Wells, U.S. Coast Guard, were married October 11, 1952, in the First Lutheran Church. Patricia is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond H. Price of Sylvan and her bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. Wells of Woodburn, Oregon. Patricia wore a gown of white satin with lace applique on the bodice and skirt. Jacquelyn Price, sister of the bride, and Noreene Wells, sister of the bridegroom were two of the bride's attendants. Robert Wells was best man for his brother and Ray and William Price, brothers of the bride were two of the ushers. (TNT, 10/26/1952, p.C-8)

Brides--1950-1960; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Families--Tacoma--1950-1960; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Price, Patricia--Marriage; Wells, John W.;

On September 5, 1941, Lois Elizabeth Nelson and Dean Gifford Thompson were married in a romantic candlelight ceremony at the First Lutheran Church. The glowing bride is pictured with her attendants on the church's altar. Mrs. Thompson was attended by (in no particular order) her youngest sister Doris Nelson as maid of honor in a "rose dust" gown and four bridesmaids attired in aqua gowns, Mrs. Marco Magnano (also a sister), Charlene Anderson, Virginia Jones and Mrs. Victor Bernard Gunderson (matron of honor.) (T. Times 9/6/1941, pg. 5)

Brides--1940-1950; Weddings--Tacoma--1940-1950; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Nelson, Lois Elizabeth--Marriage; Wedding clothing & dress--1940-1950;

Two ministers and another man pose on the 60th anniversary, October 17, 1942, of the First Lutheran Church. Rev. Carl E. Rydell was the current minister, although many of the previous church ministers as well as church officials attended the festivities. The church was organized October 17, 1882 as a missionary enterprise by the Rev. Peter Carlson. Its original members were Swedish and Norwegian, although the Norwegians later left to form their own church. It was the first congregation of Swedish speaking people to be organized in Washington.

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma;

A woman wearing a black dress embellished with beading, a black feathered hat and an orchid corsage stands at the bottom of a stairway with a man wearing a dark double breasted tuxedo. They were two of the 500 guests at the double ring ceremony uniting Jacqueline Patricia Wilson and William G. Viert at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church on October 8, 1948. The smiling couple was not identified. (TNT 10-17-1948, D-1, D-3-article on wedding & photo of bride & groom)

Couples--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hats--1940-1950; Tuxedoes; Stairways--Tacoma; Weddings--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Dolores Jeanne Vissel was married to William Talbott Harrar at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in October of 1948. Mrs. Harrar is seen here with her attendants attired in Elizabethan-style gowns of burgundy at the altar of the church. They are, L-R, Mrs. Harrar, Doris McFadden, Beverly Sjoroen, and Marilyn Whitman Anderson. (TNT, 11/7/1948, p.D-3)

Weddings--Tacoma--1940-1950; First Evangelical Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Brides--1940-1950; Wedding costume--1940-1950; Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Altars--Tacoma; Vissel, Dolores Jeanne--Marriage; Wedding attendants--Tacoma;

The Tabitha Society of the First Lutheran Church gave a tea April 1, 1948, in honor of the women in their congregation that were over 80 years old.. Corsages were given to the guests of honor. L-R, seated, are Ira Norling, Hanna Leif, and Hilda Anderson; standing, Marie Swanson, Minnie Ostberg, Anna C. Bloom, Hilma Johnson and Ida C. Melin. Photo taken for Mrs. Hosmer, News Tribune. (TNT, 4/5/1948, p.5)

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Tabitha Society (Tacoma); Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Aged persons--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1932. First Evangelical Lutheran Church. This Gothic structure was built in the 1920's from a design by Heath, Gove & Bell, architects. It is built of tapestry brick and trimmed with Tenino stone. The interior is of oak. Construction on the church was started in late 1925 but it was not completed until 1929.

Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

First Lutheran Church, Graduating Sunday School Class, circa May of 1938. Twelve boys and girls with pastor. (filed with Argentum)

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1930-1940;

First Lutheran Church

First Lutheran Church, mortgage burning. The pastor and five men look on as a woman holds the burning paper. Two of the men stand ready with a tray to catch the paper when she can no longer hold it. Construction on the building was begun in 1925. L-R, Donald Lindeman, representing service man and woman; C.O. Lynn, chairman, Board of Trustees; Caroline (Mrs. Gustave) Lindberg, church member since 1889, representing women; Rev. Carl E. Rydell, pastor; B.B. Bartels, board member for many years; Edward Young, builder of church and congregation officer for many years; and Wilbur N. Nelson, treasurer. (T.Times, 1/28/1946, p.2)

First Evangelical Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Lindeman, Donald; Lynn, C. O.; Lindberg, Caroline; Rydell, Carl E.; Bartels, B. B.; Young, Edward; Nelson, Wilbur N.; Mortgages;

Honoring the tradition of bouquet tossing, excited bridesmaids stretch to be the one lucky recipient of the bridal bouquet. According to wedding lore, the fortunate girl who catches the bouquet will be the next one to be wed. The seven attendants are included in the Dorthea Parker-Robert Martin wedding nuptials, which occurred on August 18, 1951, at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church. (TNT 8-26-51, D-6)

Bouquets; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Parker, Dorthea--Marriage; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding attendants--Tacoma;

Donna Evodie Waite and Richard Leland Knipe sign their marriage certificate in front of Rev. Carl Rydell and witnesses. They were married earlier at First Lutheran Church on August 25, 1951. Mrs. Peter N. Stojack was her sister's matron of honor. Best man was Chevy Chase of Sunnyside, Washington. Donna is the daughter of Mrs. Anne V. Waite of San Francisco and Maj. Gilbert Waite of Germany. Richard is the son of Mr. and Mrs. L.T. Knipe. (TNT, 8/26/1951, p.D-3; 9/2/1951, p.C-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Marriage certificates--Tacoma; Waite, Donna--Marriage; Knipe, Richard; Rydell, Carl E; Clergy--Tacoma;

Confirmation picture, First Lutheran Church.

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Confirmations--Tacoma--1940-1950;

On October 17, 1942, the First Lutheran Church at 6th and I St. celebrated the 60th anniversary of that organization with a special banquet, followed by a special service and a reception in the church parlor on Sunday. Present were some of the 13 parishioners whose membership dated back 50 years or more. Five long term members are pictured around a table. Seated is Mrs. Gustaf Lindberg and standing, left to right, are John Kellson, Marie (Mrs. John) Hedberg, Mrs Olaf Bloom and John Hedberg. (T. Times 10/19/1942, pg. 14)

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma;

First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 524 So. I St., Tacoma. Photograph taken for Rev. S. G. Svenson in April of 1931. Construction began on this Gothic structure in 1925 and it was dedicated in 1929. The church was designed by Heath, Gove & Bell, architects, and was built of tapestry brick with Tenino stone trim.