Rush River Lutheran Church Cemetery
Early church records indicate that the first Christian burial at Rush River Lutheran Church took place in 1855 on grounds that had been consecrated that same year. That burial was of a young woman who died during the birth of her child which survived. The young wife and mother, Mari Olsdatter Berge, and her husband Peder Bertilson Berge were from Martell, and it was he who sought comfort, as we still do today, in laying his loved one in these consecrated grounds. Her burial stone was lost for a while, but it has been located, and although broken and worn her name was legible. The broken stone is still on the grave, but a new flat to the ground stone has been installed with her name, birth and death dates and an inscription noting the first burial at RRLC. You can find the grave by using our new Chronicle Mapping and Database to guide you to the grave. You can also find it by walking straight back from the LP tank to where the hill begins to descend.
My earliest recollection of the cemetery was from Vacation Bible School when we used to have pinecone fights during recess using the gravestones as shields. We quickly learned from our teachers, however, that the cemetery was not a place to play. We learned that the cemetery was hallowed ground and that playing on or around gravestones was not only disrespectful, but could be dangerous if they were to fall.
The next milestone in my awareness of the cemetery was when my grandfather died and we buried him in the cemetery. His death and burial gave a clearer definition of what a cemetery means to an individual and a family. Today, some fifty years later, besides my grandfather, I regularly go to visit my grandmother, my great grandparents, a great-great grandmother, and my parents. Besides family, there are many friends and neighbors who bring back memories when I visit.
I learned to appreciate its beauty, history, and sense of place when I was fifteen as that summer and for two summers after, I was hired to mow the grounds. I soon became aware of its expanse and hills while walking behind the Cemetery Association’s new Jacobsen self propelled walk behind 26-inch wide mower. I also came to the realization that there were hundreds of grave stones, all of which were contemplated on my knees while I used my hand held and hand powered grass clippers to trim around them. I enjoyed looking at the Norwegian writing on the stones in the southwest corner of the cemetery. I felt a sense of awe in reading the stones telling that someone was born in the 1700s or had fought in the Civil War. I was humbled by the number flags present on Memorial Day commemorating veterans and those who fought in wars and of those who died doing so. I had nightmares many years after in which in my dream it is Memorial Day, and the cemetery is not mowed but overrun with dandelions.
Today the Cemetery Association, as in the past, is responsible for the upkeep and records of our cemetery. We have recently contracted with Chronicle Mapping and Database, so our records are now online. Information to access the database is contained elsewhere on this site. In recent years we have planted several oak trees to replace the old timers which had finally given up or lost to storms. We are presently working on cleaning brush from the borders of the cemetery as well as the straightening and cleaning of older stones. We have a fun cleanup day and cookout every spring. Monetary donations and memorials are always appreciated.
Many thanks to Don Austrum for writing this piece and sharing memories here.
