Marilyn Berglund said she can remember when, decades ago, some services at New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church were still held in Swedish. Baptized at the church 85 years ago, Berglund is one of the oldest members of the 139-year-old New Sweden church organization. Her grandfather, Gustaf Berglund, was a minister there from 1886 to 1889. New Sweden is an iconic vestige of a pocket of Swedish settlers who moved to the area east of Pflugerville in 19th century. Several Swedish settlements in the area included New Sweden, Carlson, Lund and Manda. The original church no longer exists—the current location was built in 1923. And New Sweden's two general stores and post office have long since closed, according to the Texas Historical Commission. Yet much of the landscape surrounding the church has changed little since Berglund grew up in the area, she said. "The farmland is the same, but we didn't have gravel roads back then. There were just little mud trails and horse and buggy," Berglund said. "Then we got gravel roads, and now a lot of the farms have been broken up in 10-acre tracts [and] 20-acre tracts." Hans Lillejord, the church's pastor, said a handful of congregation members are descendants of the area's Swedish settlers, and some church members travel from as far as Thrall, Thorndale and Austin to attend the church's full calendar of Sunday services. The church's distinct pose, with its 104-foot-tall steeple and green patina, has drawn photographers and tourists from throughout the world. On one occasion, Lillejord said, a tour bus of Swedes stopped to visit. "It's one of the best hidden secrets around," he said. Since the early 1950s the areas concentration of Swedish descendants has slowly thinned out, Berglund said. Nevertheless the church continues to thrive and still holds Swedish-themed services each Dec. 13 and Christmas Day. "Im proud that it is a viable, growing church spreading the word of God and caring for the community," Berglund said. And while the church prospers, so do surrounding communities, such as Pflugerville, which is expanding eastward toward New Sweden. Berglund said a real estate developer bought land nearby on FM 973 with plans to create a subdivision called New Sweden Estates that could feature Swedish-themed street names. The development, Berglund said, has been on hold for years. She said she is not sure if the subdivision will be Swedish-themed when built, "But I think it is still going to happen in the next 10 years," she said. 12809 New Sweden Church Road, Manor, 512-281-0056,www.newswedenelca.org