Sims, North Dakota

Sims is a ghost town in Morton County, North Dakota, United States. The town was founded in 1883,Cite book | author=Wick, Douglas A. | authorlink= | coauthors= | title=North Dakota Place Names | date=1988 | publisher=Hedemarken Collectibles | location= | isbn=0-9620968-0-6|pages=Page 179] and Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church was constructed the next year.cite web |url= http://www.prairiechurches.org/sims.cfm |title=Former Sims Scandinvaian Evangelical Luth Church, Sims - Morton County|publisher=Preservation North Dakota|accessdate=2008-10-03] Today, the church has been restored and still offers church services every other Sunday. The church parsonage has also been restored and is home to the Sims Historical Society Museum.cite web |url=http://www.prairiechurches.org/view_grants.cfm?ID=12 |title=Sims Historical Society Museum|publisher=Preservation North Dakota|accessdate=2008-10-03]

In October 2008, First Lady Laura Bush visited Sims and toured its church during a trip to North Dakota [ [http://www.kxmb.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=281655 Laura Bush visits ND] , Retrieved on October 2, 2008.]

History

Coal mining in the area and the town's brickyard helped Sims grow to a population of more than 1,000 people. However, the 1910 Census recorded a population of just 86 people. [cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/36894832v3ch3.pdf |title= 1910 Census of Population and Housing: North Dakota |format=PDF |work=Thirteenth Census of the United States, |publisher=United States Census Bureau|pages=Page 331|date=1913|accessdate=2008-07-20] The population fluctuated over the years with an estimated 98 people in 1940.

The post office was founded in 1883 and closed in 1947, with mail routed through Almont, North Dakota to the south. [Cite book | author=Patera, Alan H. and John S. Gallagher | authorlink= | coauthors= | title=North Dakota Post Offices 1850-1982 | date= 1982 | publisher=The Depot | location= Burtonsville, Maryland|pages=98]

Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church was built in 1884 as a combination church and residence. A new church was built in 1896 next to the parsonage. It is reportedly North Dakota's oldest Lutheran church west of the Missouri River. The congregation still has roughly 50 members, even though they do not live in Sims.cite web |url=http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/12/23/news/topnews/145101.txt |title=Tradition is alive in Sims|publisher=Bismarck Tribune|date=2007-12-23|accessdate=2008-10-03] Locals report, however, that the town does have one remaining resident, a former pastor's wife who died between 1916 and 1918. Dubbed the "Gray Lady Ghost," her spirit is reported to haunt the old parsonage next door, wandering the rooms and playing the organ.

References

External links

* [http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nd/sims.html Ghosttowns.com entry]
* [http://www.prairiechurches.org/sims.cfm Information on Sims at Preservation North Dakota]