Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest community in Winneshiek County.
Luther College is a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Decorah, Iowa. Established as a Lutheran seminary in 1861 by Norwegian immigrants, the school today is an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The upper campus was listed as the Luther College Campus Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
The Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, commonly called the Norwegian Synod, was founded in 1853. It included churches in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Bagn Bydesamling is a small museum located in the hamlet of Dolven, south of Bagn at Sør-Aurdal in Innlandet county Norway. The museum is situated in the traditional district of Valdres and is run as a subsidiary of Valdres Folkemuseum.
Harley Refsal is an internationally recognized figure carver, specializing in Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Nordic Fest is a weekend festival held annually in Decorah, Iowa, to commemorate the traditional customs and culture of Scandinavian countries, especially Norway. The event always occurs over the last weekend in July and often draws estimated crowds of 50,000 to 75,000.
Anders Sandvig was a Norwegian dentist most noted for having founded Maihaugen, an innovative regional ethnological and architectural museum in Lillehammer, documenting the vernacular architecture of Gudbrandsdalen.
Karlton Jerome Rosholt was an American journalist and author.
Ulrik Vilhelm Koren was a Norwegian-American author, theologian and church leader. A pioneer Lutheran minister, he played a significant role in the development of the spiritual and intellectual development of Norwegians in America. Ulrik Vilhelm Koren has been called the "patriarch of Norwegian American Lutherans."
Ahlert Hysing was a Norwegian educator and member of the Parliament of Norway.
Realf Ottesen Brandt was an American Lutheran minister.
Gerhard Brandt Naeseth was an American librarian and genealogist who specialized in the field of Norwegian-American immigration.
Herbjørn Nilson Gaustå also Herbjorn Gausta was an American artist who is best known for his landscapes, portraits, and scenes from rural settings. He left an early record of immigrant life in his portraits and paintings and helped establish a place for art in the culture of Norwegian-Americans.
Haldor Johan Hanson was an American hymn writer, publisher and author.
Symra was a Norwegian language periodical published between 1905 and 1914.
The Norse-American Centennial celebration was held at the Minnesota State Fair on June 6–9, 1925.
Washington Prairie Methodist Church is a historic church building located southeast of Decorah, Iowa, United States. The congregation was established by Ole Peter Petersen. He returned to his native Norway in 1853 and founded the first Methodist congregation there. Washington Prairie Methodist is considered the mother church of Methodism in Norway. In the early years the congregation met in private houses. They built this church building themselves from 1863 to 1868. With its pediments and entablature/cornice it is Greek Revival in style. However, the windows on the side elevations are Gothic. It also features a round-arch entry on its gabled end. By 1888 services were only held here quarterly, and continued until about 1920, when the church was officially closed. Over the years some vandalism and settling of the structure occurred. The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah restored the church and adjacent cemetery in 1972. The bishop of the North European Methodist Conference participated in its re-dedication later that year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Painter-Bernatz Mill, also known as the Old Stone Mill, is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The original part of the mill was constructed by William Painter in 1851, and it was expanded to its present size in the next year or two. A mill race was constructed from a dam on the Upper Iowa River, and it was routed beneath the building to power the turbine. It was the first of at least 15 mills that used this river as its source of power. The lower two floors are composed of native limestone. The original hip roof was removed sometime between 1874 and 1890 and the present gable roof was built giving the mill a large loft. Diesel power replaced water power in 1947. The building continued to operate as a mill until 1964. It became a part of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in 1971, and houses exhibits on agriculture and industry. It is also a site in the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area. The former mill is the oldest building in Decorah. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The Jacobson Farm is located southeast of Decorah, Iowa, United States. It was owned and operated by the Jacobson family for 127 years. One generation overlapped the next, which led to a gradual evolution of changes instead of sudden changes. This evolution is exemplified in the house and barn, which have been altered over the years to accommodate changing needs but contain some of their original construction. The original portions of the buildings shows a mastery of Norwegian log construction. The later additions were also built according to the Norwegian tradition as independent units, but using framing techniques that adapted from American builders. There is also a substantial amount of written documentation in the form of letters, diaries, tax receipts, and photographs that help to precisely document the history of the farm.
The Norwegian-American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library (NACGNL) is a not-for-profit Norwegian genealogy research center and library located at 415 West Main Street, Madison, Wisconsin. Through membership and service fees, it is accessible to both amateur and expert researchers. The library includes collections of Norwegian parish records, census records, government records, bygdebøker, and family histories. The library holds American records, such as obituary records, immigration, and government records, and church records from the American Lutheran Church. An online access to some records is available to members.
