| Sims | |
| Settlement Type: | Ghost town |
| Pushpin Map: | USA North Dakota |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of North Dakota |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Morton |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population As Of: | 2000 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1952 |
| Coordinates: | 46.7722°N -101.4986°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Area Code: | 701 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1033798 |
Sims is a ghost town in Morton County, North Dakota, United States. The town was founded in 1883,[1] and Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church was constructed the following year.[2] Today, the church has been restored and still worships every other Sunday.[2] The church parsonage has also been restored and is home to the Sims Historical Society Museum.[3]
During her trip to North Dakota in October 2008, First Lady Laura Bush visited Sims and toured its church.[4]
Sims was founded in 1883 as a coal town.[5] Coal mining and the town's brickyard helped Sims grow to a population of more than 1,000 people.[2] However, the 1910 Census recorded a population of just 86 people.[6] The population fluctuated over the years, with an estimated 98 people in 1940.[1]
The post office was founded in 1883 and closed in 1947, with mail routed through Almont, North Dakota, to the south.[7]
Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church was built in 1884 as a combination church and residence. A new church was built in 1896 next to the parsonage.[3] The church is reportedly North Dakota's oldest Lutheran church west of the Missouri River. The congregation still has roughly 50 members, even though they do not live in Sims.[8] Locals report, however, that the town does have one remaining resident: a former pastor's wife who died between 1916 and 1918. Dubbed the "Gray Lady Ghost," her spirit is reported to haunt the old parsonage, wandering the rooms and playing the organ.[2] [8]
The last residence in Sims, a mobile home in the center of town, was occupied in 2005, but looked vacant by 2010, and was removed by 2012.[9]