STAVE KIRKE MEMORIAL CHICAGO DEDICATION

Saturday
August 25, 2018
12:00 NOON
(PHOTOS FROM THE DAY ARE NOW AVAILABLE) <CLICK/TAP HERE>

Norwegians from Orkdal traveled to Chicago to attend the dedication of a memorial plaque at the original 1893 site of the stave kirke there at the International Columbian Exposition. They were joined by individuals from the Chicago Norwegian-American community and representatives of the Illinois State Historical Society.
The Exposition was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492.
SOME PICTURES FROM THE DEDICATION ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Fifty numbered Commemorative handouts were available to be given to attendees at the event.
<Click/Tab Here> to view an image of the program and learn more.


2017 DEDICATION IN NORWAY OF THE STAVE KIRKE RETURNING TO NORWAY.
Photo attribution: Madison.com. Their website features a 27 page slide show of the dedication.

DEDICATION LOCATION:
Museum of Science and Industry
5700 S Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637

THE PLAQUE AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

Many of you may have visited Little Norway in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin and seen the stave kirke there.

The stave kirke was originally at the current location of the Museum of Science and Industry during the 1893 Columbian Expostion and then later moved to Little Norway. Before it closed in 2014 Little Norway was a living museum of a Norwegian village located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Little Norway consisted of a fully restored farm dating to the mid-19th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A LITTLE HISTORY
Commissioned by Norwegian officials for the World's Fair, it had been built as a symbol of cultural pride and patterned after the stave churches that, in the Middle Ages, dotted the rugged Norwegian landscape.

After the fair, The Norway Building was moved to Lake Geneva, where it was installed on a lakeside estate eventually owned by the Wrigleys. A wealthy Norwegian-American named Isak Dahle acquired it in 1935 and brought it to his summer retreat in Blue Mounds.

Almost as soon as Dahle had erected the ornate building on his rural property, neighbors began hopping a fence to come see it. So Dahle hired a caretaker and charged admission, 5 cents for adults and 3 cents for children.

Crown Prince Olav, who later became king of Norway, came for a tour in 1939, and his son, Crown Prince Harald, the current king, visited in 1965, according to the 1992 book "The Norway Building of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.".

When Little Norway closed in 2014 a group from Orkdal, Norway created "Project Heimat" to bring the church back to Norway where after reconstruction it was dedicated in 2017. Now they return to place a dedication plaque at the original site of the stave kirke in 1893.


LOCATION OF THE STAVE KIRKE MEMORIAL AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

Museum of Science and Industry

 5700 S Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois
NOTE: See red arrow at bottom of the photo


SELECTED PICTURES FROM THE DAY FOLLOW. MORE WILL BE ADDED AND MORE DESCRIPTIONS WILL BE ADDED LATER.

ATTENDEES WHO TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS ARE INVITED TO SEND SELECTED PHOTOS TO:
webmaster@skjoldlodge.com

ALSO SEND ANY NOTES YOU MAY HAVE TAKEN OR REFLECTIONS YOU HAVE ON THE EVENT TO:
webmaster@skjoldlodge.com

**Selected pictures have larger images available by clicking/tabbing on the photo

Louise McCurry—President, Jackson Park Council helps prepare the plaque for unveiling. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Arne and Louise McCurry discuss the day's events. Photo attribution: Nancy Andersen.

Russell Lewis and Arne Asphjell unveil the memorial plaque. Photo attribution: Nancy Andersen.

Russell Lewis, Vice President and Chief Historian of the Chicago History Museum
welcomed the group to Chicago.

Mr. Lewis is also an Executive Committee and Governing Board member of the Illinois State Historical Society
He spoke to the group about the importance of preserving history, the importance of historical markers help and thanked the group for their efforts in preserving part of Illinois history. Photo attribution: Nancy Andersen.

Jon Satrum brought greetings from the Consulate General of Norway in Chicago, the Norwegian National League of Chicago, and Trønderlag of America (an organization of descendants from Trøndelag with almost 500 members in the U.S., Canada, and Norway). Like this tour group, Trønderlag of America's members are "Trønders", and hope to be in Orkanger and visit the relocated church building in 2019 during one of their "Trøndelag Heritage tours". The group was last in Orkanger during their 2005 tour. On their 2014 tour they marched in Trondheim's Syttende Mai parade celebrating the 200th anniversary of the signing of Norway's constitution, made a donation to help pay for the restoration of the Steinmeyer organ in Nidaros Cathedral, and attended a special ecumenical service at Nidaros attended by the King and Queen. Many thanks go to Erling Hansen who helped coordinate the special events and details of that tour. Photo attribution: Nancy Andersen.

Arne Asphjell, tour Director, and one of the leaders of Project Heimatt, which brought the church back to Norway telling about the the history of the church and the journey back to Norway. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.


Mary Lou Johnsrud from the Illinois State Historical Society was a key person in making the placement of the memorial possible. She had driven from Springfield, Illinois to be with the group on Saturday. Photo attribution: Nancy Andersen.

Steve Tanda—Represented The Norsk Museum in Norway, Illinois, and Polar Star Lodge, Sons of Norway. Photo attribution: Nancy Andersen.

Tour members from Norway. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Tour members from Norway. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Tour members from Norway. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Erling Hansen reading greetings from the Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Erling Hansen—tour leader for the Norwegian delegation on Amerikabussen, Solgruppen. Photo attribution: Nancy Andersen.

Arne Asphjell telling about how Norwegian royalty has visited the Norway Building across time including King Olav in 1939, King Harald in 1965 when he was Crown Prince. Now Crown Prince Haakon has plans to visit this stave kirke  in Norway. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Arne Asphjell and Lars Sølberg—volunteer craftsman/builder (blue shirt, up front by plaque) who was a major player in dismantling the building in Wisconsin and reassembling it in Norway. Photo attribution: Jon Satrum.

Nancy Robinson, Vice President, Norwegian National League and President, Elvesund Lodge, Sons of Norway
Jon Satrum, Board of Directors, Trønderlag of America, Editor, Skjold Lodge, Sons of Norway. Photo attribution: Arne Asphjell.

Photo from the collection of Astri Thams

Photo from the collection of Astri Thams. One of the few images that show some of the interior of the building.


ABOVE: Commemorative program - Fifty numbered handouts will be available at the event on Saturday.


August 25, 2018

Chicago, IL – Norwegians from Orkdal, Norway, traveled to Chicago for the dedication of an Illinois State Historical Society commemorative plaque placed at the original 1893 location of a replica medieval wooden Christian church building. The plaque describes the buildings role at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the building’s journey there from Norway in 1893 and its return to Norway in 2016. At the exposition it was referred to as “The Norway Building”.

Many local readers know that a replica Viking ship was also built for the 1893 Exposition. The “Viking”, now in Good Templar Park in Geneva Illinois, was launched in 1893 in Sandefjord, Norway, sailed to Bergen, and then to Chicago to be placed near the Norway Building. In 2007 it was declared one of the 10 most endangered landmarks in Illinois. The group from Orkdal also visited the Viking ship as part of their U.S. tour.

At the dedication, Arne Asphjell, tour Director, and one of the leaders of Project Heimatt, which brought the church back to Norway, commented: “It’s been a long journey for the church building. The replica church was built in Orkdal, Norway, transported to Chicago and erected for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. After the exposition, the church building was in more than one location including “Little Norway” in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. In 2016 preservationists came from Norway to disassemble and transport the building back to Orkdal, its original home. After 10,000 hours of labor it was reassembled and dedicated in 2017. Now we return again to honor the church’s original American location”.

 

Attending and greeting the group were representatives of local Norwegian-American organizations including the Honorary Norwegian Consulate of Chicago, the Norwegian National League of Chicago, Trønderlag of America, Sons of Norway lodges, Leikaringen Heimhug, and the Norsk Museum in Norway, Illinois. Representatives of the Illinois State Historical Society attended and greetings were sent from the office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

 

Russell Lewis, Chief Historian at the Chicago History Museum and Executive Committee and Governing Board member of the Illinois State Historical Society spoke to the group about the importance of preserving history, the importance of historical markers help and thanked the group for their efforts in preserving part of Illinois history.

 

About the Stave Kirke (wooden church)

A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building. The name comes from the construction of the building with load-bearing posts of the church (stav in modern Norwegian) made of cured pine wood.  Most stave churches were built between 1150 and 1350. Once there were more than 1,000 stave churches in Norway, but today there are only 28 and are a great source of pride for the Norwegian people.

 

Learn More
To learn more about the church and its journey, multiple news organizations have written about the return of the Norway Building to Orkdal, Norway, with stories, pictures and videos and can be found with Internet search patterns such as “columbian exposition 1893 stave church”. The website Madison.com features a 27 page slide show of the dedication.

Arne and Lars.
Photo attribution: Arne Asphjell, Norwegian tour group. Photo attribution: Arne Asphjell.
Russell, Arne, Lars, Jon, and Erling.
Arne Asphjell, Norwegian tour group. Photo attribution: Arne Asphjell.