A Casual Search for Swedish Past in Fruithurst and Its Silverhill Connection

     Mrs. Cindi and Zion's retired Pastor Dave Johnson passed through Fruithurst, Alabama, on their journey back to Silverhill this summer. Fruithurst was one of three Swedish settlements established in the 1890s, the others being Thorsby and Silverhill. Fruithurst is a sleepy little village in the forests of northeastern Alabama. It is located on US Highway 78. It is just a very few miles from the Georgia line. Its population was 270 in the 2000 US Census.

     There is a rail line that passes through the town. Zion Lutheran Church's new Interim Pastor Dr. Karnig Kazanjian (who began serving the Zion Congregation on August 1, 2011) reports that he had a congregation member when he served in northern Alabama that lived in Fruithurst. Apparently, he discovered, a hundred years ago the town may have been a tourist destination because of the railroad. There is a vintage Scandinavian church in Fruithurst which now carries a Methodist label on a hillside not far from the town hall. It is likely that Pastor Hartelius, Zion's first pastor in 1905, used the railroad to connect the Silverhill, Thorsby, and Fruithurst congregations on his preaching and ministry circuit to the Swedes of the time in Alabama.

     Fruithurst's Town Hall reveals the village was founded the same year as Silverhill.

     Pastor Dave spoke with four people briefly on his visit, seeking information about the Swedish connection. Three of the four were in Fruithurst, but lived elsewhere in the area. One was a recent transplant to the village. None were aware of any Fruithurst history, much less a Swedish component. The village office and the forestry station were both closed at the time of visit. Silverhill residents will appreciate the town hall sign with its "Founded in 1896."