DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the site of Old Normandy, out in Henderson County. Now, most folks driving through Henderson County aren't thinking about Norway. But pull over a minute, because this patch of Texas ground holds a story that starts on the other side of the Atlantic and ends right here.
This was the site of the first Norwegian colony in Texas. First one. And it was founded in 1845 by a man named Johan Reinert Reierson — born 1810, died 1864 — along with Ole Reierson, both of them from Holt, Norway.
Before Johan Reinert Reierson ever set foot on Texas soil, he was already working on people's imaginations back home. In a publication called the Christianssandsposten, he wrote urging his fellow Norwegians to find — and these are the words on the marker — a rich life, by migrating to Texas. Now that's a phrase that'll move people.
A rich life. You put that in print and point it toward an ocean crossing, and sure enough, people start packing. With Reierson at the Christianssandsposten was his associate editor, a woman named Elise Tvede, born 1815, died 1895.
She didn't just write about the journey — she made it herself. Came to Texas, same as the colonists she'd been writing for. And here's what's worth sitting with: even after she arrived, she kept writing, sending her words back across the water, still contributing to publications in Norway.
She married Wilhelm Warenskjold and settled in this very area. And she opened her home to Norwegian newcomers — people who'd read those words about a rich life and followed them all the way here, and needed somewhere to land when they arrived. Two writers, one vision, and a colony planted in Texas soil in 1845.
Old Normandy may be gone now, but the ground remembers.
What the marker says
First Norwegian colony in Texas. Founded in 1845 by Johan Reinert Reierson (1810-1864) and Ole Reierson, of Holt, Norway. In "Christianssandsposten," J.R. Reierson urged Norwegians to find "a rich life" by migrating to Texas. His associate editor, Elise Tvede (1815-1895), also came to Texas and continued writing for publications in Norway. She married Wilhelm Warenskjold, lived in this area, and opened home to Norwegian newcomers.