Sims | |
---|---|
Ghost town | |
Country | United States |
State | North Dakota |
County | Morton |
Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
Sims is a ghost town in Morton County, North Dakota, United States. The town was founded in 1883,[1] and Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church was constructed the following year.[2] Today, the church has been restored and still worships every other Sunday.[2] The church parsonage has also been restored and is home to the Sims Historical Society Museum.[3]
During her trip to North Dakota in October 2008, First Lady Laura Bush visited Sims and toured its church.[4]
Sims was founded in 1883 as a coal town.[5] Coal mining and the town's brickyard helped Sims grow to a population of more than 1,000 people.[2] However, the 1910 Census recorded a population of just 86 people.[6] The population fluctuated over the years, with an estimated 98 people in 1940.[1]
The post office was founded in 1883 and closed in 1947, with mail routed through Almont, North Dakota, to the south.[7]
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.[3] The church 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.[8] 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, wandering the rooms and playing the organ.[2][8]