{"nrhp_refnum":"83003122","name":"Ringness, Jens and Kari, Farm","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Sw of Clifton on FM 219","address_restricted":false,"city":"Clifton","county":"Bosque County","state":"TX","lat":31.723273145000064,"lon":-97.69499070899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-07-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Norwegian settler farm on a bluff above the Neils Creek valley, along FM 219 about 8 miles southwest of Clifton, Bosque County, Texas. It includes a limestone house said to date from 1859, a limestone blacksmith shop, a well and a cistern.","why_significant":"Jens and Kari Ringness came to Bosque County in 1854 with the first wave of Norwegian settlers. Their house is described as an excellent example of the Norwegian Dobbelthus, and the blacksmith shop is ranked among the finest masonry structures in the area. In 1867 the first Norwegian Lutheran service held in the county took place in the house, led by Reverend Styrk S. Reque.","narrative":"Overlooking the Neils Creek valley from a gently rising bluff, this farm in Bosque County, Texas, was established by Jens and Kari Ringness, who arrived in 1854 with the first wave of Norwegian settlers. The main house is a large one-and-a-half-story limestone building, once plastered, with a symmetrical five-bay south facade, flat stone arches over the openings and stone chimneys centered in the end gables. Said to have been built in 1859, it is described as an excellent example of the Norwegian Dobbelthus. Its central hallway is flanked by pairs of rooms, though the interior is now gutted because the building serves as a barn. About 100 feet north stands a square limestone blacksmith shop with walls canted inward toward the top, considered among the finest masonry structures in the area. A well and cistern also contribute. In 1867 the house hosted the first Norwegian Lutheran service held in the county, conducted by Reverend Styrk S. Reque.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Norwegian Dobbelthus","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as unoccupied, with present use given as agriculture. The house is in poor condition and used as a barn with a gutted interior. The blacksmith shop is in good condition and used for storage.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.431504-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/9683/40968399/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83003122.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968399","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001645"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bosque-county/ringness-jens-and-kari-farm-83003122/"}