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
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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.