Washington Prairie Methodist Church

Last updated
Washington Prairie Methodist Church
Washington Prairie Methodist Church 2012-09-26 20-12-38.jpg
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationSoutheast of Decorah
Coordinates 43°14′09″N91°44′37″W / 43.23583°N 91.74361°W / 43.23583; -91.74361 Coordinates: 43°14′09″N91°44′37″W / 43.23583°N 91.74361°W / 43.23583; -91.74361
Area1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Built1863-1868
Built byWA. Prairie Methodist congregation
NRHP reference No. 80001463 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 29, 1980

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. [2] 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. [3] 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. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Luke's United Methodist Church (Dubuque, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Luke's United Methodist Church, also known as St. Luke's Methodist and as St. Luke's United Methodist, is an historic Richardsonian Romanesque-style church located at 1199 Main Street in Dubuque, Iowa. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and as a contributing property in the Upper Main Street Historic District in 2005. It is part of the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum</span>

Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa is the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, with over 33,000 artifacts, 12 historic buildings, and a library and archives. This treasure showcases one of the most extensive collection of Norwegian-American artifacts in the world and highlights the best in historic and contemporary Norwegian folk and fine arts. Some of its buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ole Peter Petersen</span> Norwegian-American clergyman

Ole Peter Petersen was a Norwegian-American clergyman. He is credited as the founder of Methodism in Norway and co-founder of Norwegian and Danish Methodism in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church (Omaha, Nebraska)</span> Historic church in Nebraska, United States

St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first church for African Americans in Nebraska, organized in North Omaha in 1867. It is located at 2402 North 22nd Street in the Near North Side neighborhood. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was constructed in the center of Omaha's North Side in the Prairie School architecture style. Prairie School architecture is rare, and this architectural gem in urban Nebraska is particularly unusual for being designed and built in the 1920s, after the Prairie Style's rapid loss of popularity beginning after 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Woodward Congregational Church</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

The St. John's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a church located in Detroit, Michigan. It was built as the North Woodward Congregational Church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's-In-The-Prairie</span> Historic church in Alabama, United States

St. John's-In-The-Prairie, now known as St. John's Episcopal Church, is a historic Episcopal church in Forkland, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Street AME Zion Church</span> Historic church in Alabama, United States

State Street African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a historic African American church in Mobile, Alabama. It is the oldest documented Methodist church building in Alabama. It is also one of two African American churches founded in the Methodist tradition in Mobile prior to the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chappell Hill Methodist Episcopal Church</span> Historic church in Texas, United States

Chappell Hill Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church on Church Street in Chappell Hill, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asbury United Methodist Church (Washington, D.C.)</span> Historic church in Washington, D.C., United States

Asbury United Methodist Church, originally known as Asbury Chapel, is a historic United Methodist church in Northwest Washington, D.C., built on the corner of 11th and K Streets. It was placed on the District of Columbia Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1986. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. In 2003, the National Park Service approved the listing of Asbury on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asbury United Methodist Church (Chattanooga, Tennessee)</span> Historic church in Tennessee, United States

Asbury United Methodist Church, originally Highland Park Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic church on Bailey Avenue in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universalist Church (Mitchellville, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Universalist Church is a historic building located in Mitchellville, Iowa, United States. The congregation was organized in 1868 with a membership of thirty-five people. The first officers were: Thomas Mitchell, Moderator; Barlard Slate, Clerk; and Tillie Mitchell, Treasurer. The deacons were W.S. Jones, A. Rothrock and Pauline Weeks. Pastors included: W.W. King, T.C. Eaton, J.R. Sage, A. Vedder and F.W. Gillette. The church building was erected at a cost of $2,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Congregational Church, Former (Sioux City, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The First Congregational Church, also known as Iglesia Pentecostes Evangelica Principe de Paz, is a house of worship located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. An architectural rarity, it is one of a small group of churches in the Prairie School style of architecture. Designed primarily in the Prairie style with some eclectic touches by architect William L. Steele, its horizontal lines are emphasized by Roman brick and crisp rectilinear forms. Somewhat at variance are the distinctive dome and the prominent round heads on the windows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methodist Episcopal Church, South (Dardanelle, Arkansas)</span> Historic church in Arkansas, United States

The First United Methodist Church, formerly the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is a historic church at 100 North 2nd Street in Dardanelle, Arkansas. It is a 1+12-story brick building, constructed in 1891 and extensively altered into its present Prairie School appearance in 1917. The congregation was organized in 1848, and first met in a schoolhouse prior to the construction of its first sanctuary in 1858.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Methodist Protestant Church of Seattle</span> Historic church in Washington, United States

First Methodist Protestant Church of Seattle is an historic building, originally built and used as a church, at 128 16th Avenue East in Seattle, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gran Evangelical Lutheran Church</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

Gran Evangelical Lutheran Church is a historic church in Popple Township, Clearwater County, Minnesota. Gran Church in Clearwater County is situated near the junction of Clearwater County Road 45 and 20 outside Bagley, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Methodist Episcopal Church (Kensett, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

First Methodist Episcopal Church, also known as Kensett United Methodist Church, is a historic church building located in Kensett, Iowa, United States. The church was designed by local architect F.W. Kinney and built by local builders. The frame structure was completed in 1899 in the Gothic Revival style. The interior walls and ceiling are covered with a pressed decorative metal. On top of the gable roof above the main facade is a small belfry. Circular windows are located on both ends of the church. A small polygonal apse is located on the far end, and wings are located on both sides of the structure. It was founded by an English speaking congregation as opposed to the many Norwegian Protestant congregations in and around Kensett. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Center Methodist Episcopal Church and Pleasant Hill Cemetery</span> Historic site in Dallas County, Iowa, US

Prairie Center Methodist Episcopal Church and Pleasant Hill Cemetery is a historic church and cemetery in rural Lincoln Township, southeast of Yale, Iowa, United States. The Methodist Episcopal Church established a congregation in 1866, and services were held in area schoolhouses until a frame building was constructed for a church in 1880. It was dedicated in January 1881. A cemetery was located across the road. Some of the graves predate the church and were moved from other cemeteries. As the congregation expanded the building was remodeled and a tower with a new entrance on the southeast corner, and an alcove on the north side were added. The orientation of the interior was changed so that the congregation, who had faced east, now faced north. A basement was dug below the sanctuary in 1925 for space for Sunday School classes. The church and cemetery were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Services continue to be held in the church once a month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Methodist Episcopal Church</span> United States historic place

The German Methodist Episcopal Church, also known as St. Paul's German Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic church building in Burlington, Iowa, United States. The German Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in Burlington in 1845. It was the second of eight German congregations established in the city of various denominations. The Reverend Sebastian Barth, the first pastor, initially held services in a small frame house, and then in the basement of another church. The first permanent home for the congregation was a small brick church that was built in 1848. This structure was built from 1868 to 1869. It is a Victorian Gothic structure with Romanesque elements. The stone for the exterior was quarried from the site where the church was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First United Methodist Church (Reno, Nevada)</span> Historic church in Nevada, United States

The First United Methodist Church is a Methodist church that was founded in 1868 in Reno, Nevada. In 1868 the first meetings were held in the local schoolhouse on the corner of what is now First and Sierra Streets. In 1871 The first church was erected and dedicated on Sierra Street between First and Second Streets. In the early 1900s the wood-framed church was moved to the back of the lot and a new brick building was added to it. And finally in 1925 plans for a new building were made. Designed by Wythe, Blaken, and Olson of Oakland, the church is one of the first poured concrete buildings in Reno and utilizes Gothic Revival architectural themes. The corner stone for the current historical building was placed in 1926, with the building being dedicated in December of that same year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983; the listing included two contributing buildings. The second building is a parish house designed by local architect Donald Parsons and built in c.1840. In 1965 another addition was done to add on what is currently the fellowship hall, and Sunday school class rooms.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Steven L. Johnson. "National Register of Historic Places nomination: Washington Prairie Methodist Church". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-07-05. with photos
  3. David Gebhard; Gerald Mansheim. "Washington Prairie Methodist Church". Archipedia . Retrieved 2019-10-16.