Early Norwegian immigrants settled Central Wisconsin in the mid-1800s and brought with them the traditional church architecture of the hills and fjords of their native land. South New Hope Church was chartered in 1888 when synod debates over church doctrines compelled some families to leave New Hope Church two miles north. A new congregation, organized as The New Hope Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Portage County, built its church on this site, and founding members completed the house of worship one year later at a cost of about $1,375. The altar picture was painted by Ingeborg Boe (1858-1905), a self-trained artist whose works adorned the altars of many Wisconsin churches; she was a founding member of South New Hope and is buried in this cemetery. The bell was cast in 1899 by E. W. Vanduzen Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio. The last official service was held in 1967. A second cemetery on this site predates the church, with burials confirmed back to the 1850s, and its few remaining headstones trace the lineage of recognized area families while many interments are unknown.