Early Norwegian Settlers on the Texas Frontier: Uncovering the Home of Cleng Peerson

Summary

In 2014, a dedicated landowner began the search for the home of Cleng Peerson, founding father of Texas’s earliest Norwegian settlement. Subsequently, members of the Texas Archeological Stewardship Network conducted extensive archival research and field investigations. They verified that Peerson had given 160 acres to Ovee Colwick in 1860 in exchange for a place to live his final years, and the landowner owned the property that contained the Colwick homestead. Excavations revealed remains of a stone house and cellar that aligned with the 1896 insurance document of the Colwick home. Numerous family histories contained stories of Peerson’s commitment to the community and provided pictorial evidence of the construction phases of the house. In 2015, the homestead was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This is a great story of a community coming together to share their knowledge and to uncover part of an underrepresented immigrant settlement in Texas.  

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Poster Submission 2017   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 235