Chapel in the Hills
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Built in 1969 by Dr. Harry Gregerson, The Chapel in the Hills is a historic Lutheran church located in Rapid City, South Dakota and east of Black Hills National Forest. It is an exact replica of the Borgund Stavkirke chapel in Norway. Today, it draws between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors a year and hosts over 100 weddings each year and other services. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
Images
The Chapel in the Hills
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Dr. Harry Gregerson, who at the time had his own radio show called the Lutheran Vespers, wanted to expand his ministry. He thought that a chapel in the Black Hills would be an excellent location to achieve this goal. Funding for the chapel came from banker Arndt E. Dahl, whose parents were Norwegian. The chapel served as the home of Gregerson's radion show until 1975 when it moved to Minneapolis. A non-profit acquired ownership and still operates the chapel today.
Sources
"History of the Chapel in the Hills," http://www.chapel-in-the-hills.org/history.php. Retrieved 5-15-15.