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Norwegian Memorial Lutheran Church, or Mindekirken

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In 1922, a group of Norwegian immigrants and their descendants who wanted to worship in their native language organized a Norwegian Lutheran congregation in Minneapolis. Recognizing its significance to the Norwegian-American community, the name was changed a few years later to the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, or Mindekirken. From its start, the church's objective and mission was beyond an ordinary Lutheran congregation. In the wake of WW1, other Norwegian-American congregations were switching over to English, and there was pressure assimilate to American culture. A fundraising campaign brochure published in 1928 and addressed "To the Norwegians of Minneapolis," stated:"It will be a Memorial to our pastors, laymen, and all church workers who have struggled here in our new American home to establish our homes and institutions. It will perpetuate our Norwegian church service in the original language so long as there is anyone who understands."[1]The church's sanctuary was erected in 1930, and it continues to serve the congregation. Over the years, Mindekirken's cultural offerings have grown to include Norwegian language instruction, concerts with visiting Norwegian artists, social and educational programming, where Norwegian food is served, and its Leiv Eriksson International Festival, celebrated each October.[2]The congregation celebrated its centennial in 2022. It now shares the block with Norway House, a nonprofit center for Norwegian business and culture.

Mindekirken, The Norwegian Memorial Lutheran Church

This tour is a work-in-progress. Enjoy these highlights in the heartland of Norwegian America. 

Lyngblomsten, an assisted living institution named for the national flower of Norway, was constructed in 1913, several years after a group of Norwegian-American women established a literary club at the home of Laura Bratager. The group quickly became interested in doing charity work, and this came in the form of the Lyngblomsten society.[1] In 1911, the society saw the first building in the assisted living institution dedicated with Caroline Unhjem as the matron (she would go on to also head the Ebenezer care institution and start its endowment). As an institution, Lyngblomsten has expanded its practice to include apartments, a community senior center, and a transitional care service, all in the spirit of charity toward those in need, established by an altruistic society of Norwegian-American women.[2]Ground was first broken for the very first building on July 30th, 1911[1] and dedicated in December of the next year. "Starting as Lyngblomsten did by eleven women the home and its cause has enjoyed a splendid growth with branches, not only in the Twin Cities, but extending our over Minnesota and adjacent states."[1]

Lyngblomsten Care Center

As part of training Lutheran ministers, Gjermund Høyme, the head of the United Lutheran Church, envisioned having Lutheran theology students preach from a pioneer pulpit. That way they could experience a little of what a circuit pastor in the early days of the Norwegian American church did. Høyme was dedicated to preserving the original preaching experience. Hearing from historians Rasmus Anderson and Hjalmar Rued Holand that the Old Muskego church was deteriorating, he began a fund-raising campaign to preserve the Old Muskego log church.When the new church was built in 1870, the old log church was moved next door to the Jacobson farmstead. A generation later, Hans Jacobson was using it as shelter for his pigs. Jacobson sold it to the United Lutheran Church for $100. With the help of other Jacobson family members, they numbered the ends of the logs and dismantled the pioneer log church. It was shipped by railroad car to St. Paul, Minnesota to the grounds of Luther Seminary. The Jacobsons’ then helped reconstruct the log church.Ministers throughout the Midwest have shared how meaningful it was for them, as Luther Seminary students, to attend services and preach in the Old Muskego Log Church on campus. Some people feel that the log church should never have left Muskego-Norway, but ongoing preservation of the church is costly. It is fortunate that the college maintains this unique historic structure.The Old Muskego log church is on the campus of Luther Seminary, behind Gullixson Hall, 2375 Como Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota. Borrow a key at the second-floor library desk to see the inside of the church. Terry Martin, author of the book New Masters of Woodworking wrote that:<blockquote>“. . .(I) stumbled upon one of the true woodturning treasures in the United States when I visited here. It was clearly an attempt to elevate their place of worship above the commonplace.”[1]</blockquote>The altar and pulpit are made of walnut. The altar cloth was designed by Norwegian church vestment expert Helen Engelstad using the needlework style of the time.Paul Daniels, Luther Seminary archivist, explained that the Old Muskego Log Church was meant to be a temporary structure. When the church was moved to Luther Seminary, it was placed on a hill, overlooking its surroundings, similar to the way the building originally overlooked the Muskego-Norway countryside.In the twenty-five years that it served as a place of worship, the old Muskego log church saw thousands of immigrants bow their heads to pray. For many, it was the first church they had been in since arriving from the old country. They knelt and gave thanks that they had survived their journey. They prayed for help to find fruitful land and build a good life in America. Hundreds grieved in the same log church during the cholera epidemics and other illness and accidents which took their loved ones from them. Much joy, pain and sense of community has been experienced in the walls of this church.In the First Chapter of Norwegian Immigration Rasmus Anderson wrote about a letter he received from H.J. Ellertsen, describing the church building:<blockquote>“It was built of oak logs hewed on both sides, six inches thick, and matched after the Norwegian fashion of building houses. On the inside the logs were dressed perfectly smooth and then fitted so close together that no mortar was used between them. Double doors in the front were made of black walnut. The pulpit was also made of walnut.</blockquote><blockquote> “Galleries were built across the front and along both sides of the church. These galleries were supported by six lathe-turned solid walnut columns. The erection of the church (started) in spring 1844 and the dedication took place March 13, 1845. It is undoubtedly the first Norwegian church built in America.”[2]</blockquote>As the Muskego congregation became wealthier, they built a new brick church on Indian Hill. At the same time, they were building frame and clapboard homes to replace their modest log cabins. It was a sure sign of progress.In 1870, the old log church was auctioned off, dismantled and rebuilt on a local farm. Rasmus Anderson and Gjermund Hoyme discussed rescuing the church, which was being used as a farm outbuilding and bringing it to Luther Seminary. There it could be used as a chapel, so theology students could experience how pioneering Norwegian immigrants worshiped. Hjalmar Rued Holand was disturbed to see the old Muskego log church used as a grisehus (pig sty) and urged that it be saved.The United Lutheran Church synod negotiated buying the building from Hans Jacobson for $100. They quickly signed the contract after Jacobson said that the Norwegian Synod gave him an offer for double the price. The United Lutheran Church was able to acquire the building, because of the relationship their local minister, Gerhard Rasmussen, had with the Jacobson family who owned it. At the time, locals wanted to keep the church at Muskego. In retrospect, it was fortunate that the church went to Luther Seminary, because it has taken significant resources to maintain the building over the years. The cost to move the building to St. Paul and rebuild it was $2,000 ($65,000 in 2024 money). Sons of Peder Jacobson, one of the original church builders, numbered all the logs so the log church could be properly reassembled.In the National Registry of Historical Places application, Minnesota historic sites survey specialist John Hackett wrote:<blockquote>“In 1904, Muskego church was purchased, dismantled and removed to be reconstructed at the building’s present site. The exterior walls were adzed, and hand planed . . . The massive logs are coped and scribed with interlocking ends shaped by an axe. The fit of the hewn logs is so tight that only the interlocking ends of the logs have been chinked with clay . . . The church had segregated seating, with men on the right and women on the left. The balcony was also segregated. The pews are not original but of this uncomfortable type.” [3]</blockquote>Woodworking expert Terry Martin wrote:<blockquote>“The size of the columns is impressive – at least seven feet tall and quite thick. They must have been hard to mount on a lathe. When I looked more closely . . . the tool marks were still quite evident and there was a lot of deep tearout on the detail work. (I have) the deepest respect for the craftsmen who worked so hard to produce this work . . .</blockquote><blockquote>“Halvor Lohner, a house builder from Telemark, took a leading part (in building the church) and Peder Jacobson . . . was the one who by use of a lathe turned the pillars inside the church. Ole Spellum is said to have turned the balusters of the small pillars of the altar ring . . . Jacobson probably had to forge his own tools . . . The lathe used to turn these columns must have been very large. How was it driven? Large logs like this are very heavy . . . It must have taken a lot of power to start them turning and to maintain any kind of speed.</blockquote><blockquote> “When I sat quietly in this old building and thought about those turners, I was quite moved . . . I have to ask myself if I could produce such work under those conditions and I am sure I could not . . . If I was impressed when I walked through the door, I can imagine how it must have seemed to the farmers of the region when they first saw it.” [4]</blockquote>Women of the congregation helped build the church alongside the men. Hjalmar Rued Holand wrote that when he visited the Old Muskego Church in 1897, he learned that Kari Hogenson carried wooden shingles up the ladder to her husband Ole, who shingled the church's roof [5] Other women would have labored alongside their husbands, or in splitting wooden slabs to make shingles, or in their kitchens supplying nutrition to the building bee.

Norway Lutheran Church, also known as Old Muskego Church, was the first Norwegian church built in the United States. It was constructed in 1845 in Muskego, Wisconsin, to serve the growing Norwegian population there. It was used for its original purpose for 24 years before being replaced by a bigger church in 1870. The church was built on a hill called "Indian Hill", which had previously been a sacred site for the Potawatomi. After the new church was built, the original church was moved to a farm to be used as a barn. In 1904, Luther Theological Seminary bought it and had it transported to the current site on its campus. The church was reconstructed in its current location and restored by Charles L. Jacobson. The church's records are housed in the Seminary's archives and are available for research. The church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Norway Lutheran "Old Muskego" Church

The Lutheran Girls Home was a continuation of the Mary and Martha Home, founded by Lutheran pastors in St. Paul. Rev. A.O. Aasen, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Northeast Minneapolis, was the driving factor behind becoming incorporated in January 1913. The first board included Rev. Aasen, Rev. C.S. Thorpe, Rev. Ch. Anderson, Rev. J. Hendricks, and Rev. S.T. Norman. The group rented a house on Spring and Pierce Streets and the work began with Marie Brehseth as the matron. Several churches in the Twin Cities became interested in the home and organized the Rescue Home Auxiliary that grew to have several branches throughout the Twin Cities. By 1917, the home moved to 64 Bedford Street in Southeast Minneapolis, close to the border of St. Paul. in 1923, with the expanded mission of caring for girls, children, and convalescents, the home moved to 18th Avenue and Arthur Street in Northeast Minneapolis.

Lutheran Girls Home - Norske Gjensidige Beskytt

In 1910, Norwegian immigrants Olaf Olsen and John Norberg founded Olsen Fish Company on the north side of Minneapolis. Today, the company supplies herring, lutefisk and stockfish across North America.Lutefisk is a traditional Norwegian-American dish, and for some is considered an annual rite of the winter holiday season. The dish is made from cod, traditionally caught off the coast of Northern Norway. The fish is dried outdoors on special drying racks before shipping. Upon arrival at its destination, the fish is soaked in a solution of water and lye. After the fish is rehydrated, it is rinsed repeatedly before being packaged for cooking and eating. According to food writer Kari Diehl, lutefisk is a traditional Christmas food because of the Catholic restriction on meat that required fasting on various days and weeks. Meals featuring fish and porridge were common substitutions for meat dishes. During the Advent season, dried fish was most widely available, and lutefisk became identified with Christmas because of this.[1]In the more than a century it has been in business, Olsen Fish company has grown to 12 full-time employees that process more than 500,000 pounds of lutefisk and two million pounds of herring annually. The company also produces private-label fish products for other businesses. In recent years, the company has found a new market for dried stockfish: The dried cod is also extremely popular among Nigerian immigrants.[2]

Olsen Fish Company

The Ole Bull statue in Loring Park, created by Norwegian-American sculptor Jacob Fjelde, was unveiled on May 17, 1896. It was "conceived to demonstrate that both the virtuoso violinist Bull and the local Norwegian-American community held great cultural significance for the city at large," according to historian David C. Mauk. The statue was dedicated in Loring Park on the 17th of May, 1897 — Norwegian Constitution Day — and it became the focus of cultural celebrations going forward. "This constituted a major step toward the transformation of Syttende Mai into everybody's day and to celebrate national backgrounds, a festive public occasion to show respect for the commonly held values that bound together Americans of all heritages," according to Mauk.[1]

Ole Bull Statue

Norwegian immigrants founded the Sons of Norway (Sønner av Norge) in 1895 as a fraternal benefit society. The original purpose of the organization was to protect its members and their families from financial calamities that arose with the sickness or death of a family's breadwinner."In those bygone days, few immigrants had a working knowledge of the American language. As strangers, they entered a promised but alien land. In order to cope with their new situation they felt compelled to seek out their own national group in the frightening vastness of the American city," writes Sverre Norborg in his history of the organization.[1]This clearly met a need among immigrants, and the organization grew. Another lodge was formed in South Minneapolis in 1899. The third was founded in northeast Minneapolis in 1900.[2]Gradually, the organization’s mission grew to include cultural preservation. With more than 50,000 members, it is the largest Norwegian cultural organization outside Norway.

Sons of Norway Headquarters

Ingebretsen's Model Market opened in 1921, in the heart of what was once Minneapolis' Scandinavian immigrant community. The store has been run by four generations of the Ingebretsen family. Its founder was Karl Ingebretsen (later Charles and then Charlie), born in Sweden in 1882, but raised in Sarpsborg, Norway. He emigrated to New York in 1904. After a stint as a dockworker, Ingebretsen went west to Fargo, North Dakota, where he was employed by Skjold Brothers' meat market. By 1909 he had made his way to Minneapolis, where me worked in a couple of meat markets in the heart of the South Minneapolis Scandinavian community. By 1915 he owned his own meat market on 1808 Riverside Avenue, along with his partner Nils Ahlm, and later he opened a second meat market at 3021 27th Avenue South. By 1921, he had opened the present Lake Street location. Today, the store is a mecca for authentic and imported Scandinavian foods and gifts. The store celebrated its centennial in 2021.[1]

Ingebretsen's Nordic Marketplace

Norway House is a central hub for the Norwegian-American community in the Twin Cities. Before the establishment of Norway House, there were "more than 100 different Norwegian organizations without a permanent public home."[1] Established in 2004, Norway House operates with the mission to connect the United States and contemporary Norway through arts, business, and culture. It opened an expanded facility in 2022. Norway House is home to Concordia Language Villages in the Twin Cities, Global Translation &amp; Interpreter, and the Norwegian Honorary Consulate in Minneapolis. It also serves as a meeting place for a number of other organizations, including Lakselaget, Bygdelagenes Fellesraad, the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (NorCham), Daughters of Norway, and several Sons of Norway lodges. Another affiliate is the Norwegian American, North America's only existing Norwegian-American newspaper.[2] Norway House members and the public can enjoy a light meal or a beverage in the Kaffebar or take in an exhibit in the Mondale Galleri. Ingebretsen's gift shop also operates a satellite store in the builiding.

Norway House

Starting in 1885, Dania Hall became a gathering place for Scandinavians in Minneapolis. Located in the Scandia Bank block of Cedar Avenue, the hall was home to many Norwegian-American organizations. Events, concerts, and celebrations also took place in the building's auditoriums on the second and third floors.[1]"Cedar Avenue became the main thoroughfare for Norwegians and other Scandinavians in the city. One business after another was opened. Norwegians was the language of both store clerks and cusotmers," according to historian Odd S. Lovoll. Within a few blocks, "there were at least six Norwegian churches that completed with the saloons and other amusements in the Cedar-Riverside district."[2] Augsburg Seminary, now Augsburg University, was just down the street.

Norwegian-American History Trail of the Twin Cities

Mindekirken, The Norwegian Memorial Lutheran Church

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information