Exterior view of early church building. Noted on back, "Faith Lutheran Church (1962, has this name). Merged with Lincoln Lutheran to become Faith Lutheran."
The United Church built a new seminary at 2375 Como Avenue in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Shown here is the building's dedication at the annual meeting of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church in 1902. The building was later named for Markus Olaus Bockman (1849-1942), professor and president of the United Church Seminary, 1893-1917, and its successor, Luther Theological Seminary 1917-1930. Front of photograph reads: Annual Meeting of Norw American Church at St. Anthony Seminary. Back of photograph reads: United Seminary main building, dedication, aka Bockman Hall.
This photo depicts the cornerstone laying for the United Church Seminary building. The cornerstone is inscribed with the date ""1900,"" but we know the building was not used until 1902, so the exact timing of events requires more research. It was not uncommon to mark cornerstones with the centennial dating to capture the spirit of the age, even if it was not the exact date. This building was later renamed Bockman Hall. Note the people watching the ceremony from the window openings and the open umbrellas even though it doesn't appear to be raining. Back of photograph reads: Bockman Hall, 1899-1900, Luther Seminary, Cornerstone laying.
This panoramic photograph shows a view of the buildings comprising the Hauge Synod's Red Wing Seminary campus as it appeared in 1907. In the 18th century, rationalism swept the churches of Europe and Norway to the detriment of a heart-felt spiritual life. In 1796, a Norwegian farmer named Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824) experienced a conversion and began traveling throughout the Norwegian countryside preaching and holding revival meetings. At this time, such activity by a layman was prohibited and Hauge was persecuted and jailed by the government at the urging of the state church. But Hauge's pure and simple Gospel could not be quelled and many of his followers migrated to America. One such person was Elling Eielsen (1804-1883) who came to America in 1839 and preached among the Norwegian settlements of northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. Like-minded pastors and congregations joined with him to form a synod in 1846. Eielsen had a contentious personality and eschewed any formal organization. His followers repeatedly broke and regrouped, a majority finally forming the Hauge Synod in 1876 without Eielsen. In 1879, the Hauge Synod opened a seminary at Red Wing, Minnesota, on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Front of photograph reads: Red Wing Seminary, copyright 1907 by Edward H. Lidberg.
Music was always an important part of life for Norwegian American Lutherans. Shown here is a band from the Red Wing Seminary. Front of photograph reads: Red Wing Seminary, Lidberg, Red Wing.
From 1922-1940 Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary was located in Northeast Minneapolis in this building at 1018 19th Avenue North East. Following a split with Maywood Seminary in Chicago in 1920, Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary, with strong support from the Northwest Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America, moved with its student body of 34 and its faculty of four, first to Fargo, North Dakota, and by 1922 to Minneapolis. Front of photograph reads: Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary, 1018 19th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis, Minn. Back of photograph reads: Rev. P.H. Roth, 18 & Dupont Ave. NE, Minneapolis, Minn.
Two presidents of Luther Theological Seminary, Alvin N. Rogness (1954-1974) on the left and T.F. (Thaddaeus Franke) Gullixson (1930-1954) are observing Fredrik A. Schiotz plant a seedling on the campus of Luther Theological Seminary in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Fredrik A. Schiotz was the president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1954 to 1960. Back of photograph reads: Education, College & Sem, Luther Sem., St. Paul, Minn.
This photograph shows a picture of the Augsburg Seminary student body standing in front of Old Main in February 1918. The panoramic photograph allows you to see some of the homes in the surrounding neighborhood. In the 1870s, the Conference for the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, commonly called ""the Conference,"" called two young men to serve as professors at its school, Augsburg Seminary. Sven Oftedal began in 1873, and Georg Sverdrup in 1874.These two men defined the institution and its supporting congregations for the next several decades. Their vision of Augsburg Seminary was for a cohesive nine year program: a two year academy, a four year college, and a three year seminary. In 1890, the Conference merged with the Norwegian Augustana Synod and a breakaway group from the Norwegian Synod known as the ""Anti-Missourian Brotherhood"" to form the United Norwegian Lutheran Church. Augsburg was to be the seminary of the new church body, but a controversy soon developed over the role of Augsburg's college department vis-a-vis St. Olaf College which has been loosely associated with the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood. Known as the ""Augsburg Controversy,"" contentious court battles went to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Eventually, Augsburg Seminary and its supporters formed a new church body in 1897 called the Lutheran Free Church. Front of photograph reads: Augsburg Seminary, Feb. 1918, Craft Studio. Back of photograph reads: Old Main Building.
This is the main building of Luther Theological Seminary. It was later named Bockman Hall in honor of M.O. (Markus Olaus) Bockman, president of Luther Theological Seminary, 1917-1930. This one building contained dorms, classrooms, faculty offices, a chapel, and a gym. In 1917, three Norwegian Lutheran church bodies, the United Church, the Norwegian Synod, and Hauge's Synod united to form the Norwegian Lutheran Church. Old theological differences on the doctrine of election (predestination) were smoothed over in a document known as the ""Opgor"" (""Agreement""). The seminaries of the three church bodies, the United Church Seminary, Luther Seminary (Hamline Ave., St. Paul), and the Red Wing Seminary, were merged to form Luther Theological Seminary on the United Church Seminary campus on Como Avenue in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood in St. Paul.
Congregation outside of Camp Release[?] Lutheran. Back of photograph labeled, "Camp Release Mgh's kirke Yellow Medicine Co, Minn. Byget aaret [begun] 1887. Disbanded."
The daily chapel service at Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary was held in the former dining room and solarium of Passavant Hall, the past residence of the Charles Pillsbury family. In keeping with the rest of the Tudor style home, the refurbished chapel retained the original paneling, stained glass, and plank flooring. Seminary students of the period (1940-1967) remember fondly the beauty and uniqueness of these spaces. Back of photograph reads: NLTS chapel at S. Mpls site ca. 1960.
Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary was justly proud of its music and arts program including its choral activities. The choir recorded albums and toured regularly. Pictured conducting is Robert Paul Wetzler, director of the choir and noted sacred music composer and publisher. Later, Kathryn Ulvilden Moen, a professionally trained organist and choir director, would take on this dual role with great success. Back of photograph reads: Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary Choir, Minneapolis, Robert Paul Wetzler, director, Ray Hanson, manager.
Pictured here is the United Church Seminary's first building at the corner of Franklin Avenue and 26th Avenuein Minneapolis. The United Norwegian Lutheran Church was formed in 1890 by a merger of the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood, the Norwegian Augustana Synod, and the Conference for the Norwegian-Danish Lutheran Church in America, commonly known as ""the Conference."" The Conference brought its Augsburg Seminary to the merger and it was to become the seminary of the new church body. The formerly independent St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn, was made a college of the new church. But Augsburg was a nine-year school (two years preparatory, four years college, and three years seminary) and a controversy soon developed over the future of Augsburg's four-year college vis-a-vis St. Olaf. Augsburg was incorporated with an independent board of trustees which when presented with an ultimatum refused to turn control of the seminary over to the United Church while the college question was unsettled. The United Church formed a new seminary in 1893. After a bitter court battle, the supporters of Augsburg formed a new denomination in 1897, the Lutheran Free Church, with Augsburg as its college and seminary. Front of photograph reads: U.C. Seminary 1893-1901. Back of photograph reads: M.E. Waldeland, donor, son Olaf Waldeland.
This Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary building was named for Dr. G. H. (George Henry) Gerberding, first president of the Northwest Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America and one of the four original Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary professors to leave Maywood Seminary, Chicago, in 1920. Gerberding Hall had been one of the Crosby family homes. The Crosby family was involved in the Minneapolis milling industry. Back of photograph reads: Gerberding Hall, late 50's, NLTS residence, [photo] #14.
Luther Theological Seminary Professor Emeritus Gustav Marius Bruce, holding the Bible, and Luther Theological Seminary President Thaddaeus Franke Gullixson, with hands on the shovel, are praying at the 1946 groundbreaking ceremony for the new library and classroom building. This building was later named for T.F. Gullixson. Gullixson's background was in the Norwegian Synod and Bruce's was in Hauge's Synod of the Lutheran church. Professor Emeritus Bruce was also a former Second Vice President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Note attached to photograph reads: Dr. T. F. Gullixson and Dr. G. M. Bruce (holding the Bible) at ground breaking ceremonies for the new library-classroom building at Luther seminary. Dr. Bruce is a former professor at Luther seminary and former second vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
From 1879-1917, Red Wing Seminary was the center for the Hauge Synod, that group of Norwegian American Lutherans that followed the principles of Norwegian lay preacher Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824). Their emphasis was on a heart-felt sense of sin and grace reflected in a regenerate life-style. This photograph shows an unidentified group of men, women, and children in front of a Red Wing Seminary building. The relatively few women and children, however, implies that it was a gathering of students and/or clergy, rather than a convention. Assuming there is clergy in this group, note the complete lack of any clerical vestments, which were generally not approved of by Haugeaners. Back of photograph reads: Red Wing Seminary, Red Wing, Minnesota. Via LTS, Dr. Svendsbye's office, from Bethel Lutheran Church, Lead, S.D., Pastor Emil D. Greiner.
In the late 1940s, this second major building was constructed on the Luther Theological Seminary campus to house a library and provide additional classroom and office space. It was later named Gullixson Hall in honor of T.F. (Thaddaeus Franke) Gullixson, president of Luther Theological Seminary, 1930-1954. Back of photograph reads: LTS, Gullixson Hall.