Professional portrait of "The Church and Settled Pastors of Pontoppidan Lutheran Congregation from 1868 to 1918". Includes photos of P.J. Ostergaard, 1884-1886, Nils Olson 1868-1880, N.S. Heggerness 1880-1882, R. Anderson 1887-1890, H.S. Quanbeck 1893-1896, E.O. Larson 1898-1905, H.C. Caspersen 1905-1912, Johan Mattson 1913
Stereogram of church group outside Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. Back of stereogram has an official label which states, "The Norwegian Lutheran Synode Held at Minneapolis, Minn. 1875. The Representatives."
Congregation outside of Camp Release[?] Lutheran. Back of photograph labeled, "Camp Release Mgh's kirke Yellow Medicine Co, Minn. Byget aaret [begun] 1887. Disbanded."
Controversy over the doctrine of election (or predestination) rocked the Norwegian Synod in the 1880s. A group called the "Anti-Missourian Brotherhood" split off from the Synod and formed its own seminary in Northfield, Minn. The Norwegian Synod then moved its seminary, Luther Seminary, to Robbinsdale, Minn., in 1888. The seminary was housed in the building depicted here which was destroyed by fire in 1895. After the fire, Luther Seminary temporarily met nearby at the Hotel Georgia.
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.
Professional studio photograph taken outside of Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church; front view. Back of photograph labeled, "merged with Bethlehem at New Folden, 1958."
Exterior view of church building with congregation out front. Man driving horse and buggy. On back of photo: "Vor Frelsers Meninghedskirke in Sacred Heart, Minn."
Luther Seminary moved to this facility on Hamline Avenue in St. Paul in 1899 and remained there until its 1917 merger with Red Wing Seminary and the United Church Seminary at the latter's campus in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. This building is on the corner of Hamline Avenue and Capitol Avenue. Back of photograph reads: Rev. O.E. Brandt, Luther Seminary, Capitol & Hamline.
Distant exterior view of Little Cedar Lutheran Church with horse buggies. Back of photo includes the following information, "given by Miss Ida Anderson, Adams, Minnesota: Date 1902, Rev. Wm. Rasmussen, Pastor. Horsebarns built 1898 or 1899. Church burned down in 1910, and only village church used after that."
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 photograph shows three of the buildings on the Red Wing Seminary campus that sat on top of a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Front of photograph reads: Campus, Red Wing Seminary, Red Wing, Minn.
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.
The United Church built housing for its faculty on the St. Anthony Park campus. This panoramic views shows the United Church Seminary building (later named Bockman Hall) on the left and faculty housing on the right connected by dirt roads.
Shown here is an exterior of the United Church Seminary in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Until the library was built in 1948, this single building housed classrooms, faculty offices, recreational areas, a chapel, and student dormitories for the entire seminary. 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.
The Muskego Settlement in southeastern Wisconsin was founded by Norwegian settlers in 1839. One early settler was Even Heg, later a celebrated Civil War colonel, whose barn provided a way station for many a new immigrant and a meeting place for worship services. In the fall of 1843, the fledgling congregation issued a letter of call to C.L. (Claus Lauritz) Clausen who was ordained in Heg's home on October 18. On Palm Sunday, 1844, a new church building was dedicated, the interior of which is shown here. This building, Muskego Church, was moved to the campus of the United Church Seminary in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul in 1904, where it stands today. Muskego Church is still used for commemorations and special services.
Group portrait outside of Holden Lutheran Church. Back of photograph labeled, "LFC Holden Lutheran Church, Beardsley, Minn. 5 mi. S." Handwritten on front of photograph, "Holden Kirke; Big Stone Co. Minn."
This photo shows seminary students in a classroom at the United Church Seminary in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul in 1905 or 1906. Note the formal dress and the gas lamps. Seminary students and clergy at that time were exclusively male. Front of photograph reads: United Lutheran Seminary student body, 1905-06, in the classroom of Bockman Hall, first floor, west side. This was made into dormitory rooms when Bockman Hall was remodeled in 1956. Notice the plug hats, the class pictures and the gas lighting.
A common practice in the early part of the 20th century was to have photographs printed on ""picture postcard"" stock. This photo, from the Constance W. Johnson collection, shows the interior of the chapel in the United Church Seminary building. Back of postcard reads: Chapel in Bockman Hall, Luther Theological Seminary.
A common practice in the early part of the 20th century was to have photographs printed on ""picture postcard"" stock. This photo, from the Constance W. Johnson collection, shows the gymnasium at the United Church Seminary. Three children are posed on the parallel bars. Some equipment items shown are: parallel bars, free weight, punching bag, juggling pins, rings. Back of postcard reads: Gymnasium, Bockman Hall, Luther Theological Seminary, Constance Weswig Johnson in center.
A common practice in the early part of the 20th century was to have photographs printed on ""picture postcard"" stock. This photo, from the collection of Constance W. Johnson, shows United Church Seminary students relaxing outside the seminary building, ca. 1905. Back of postcard reads: LTS seminary students outside Bockman Hall ca. 1905.
Though often stereotyped as the sternest of the Norwegian-American Lutherans, this photo shows a group of Norwegian Synod seminary students having fun with a good old-fashioned snowball fight at its seminary, Luther Seminary, on Hamline Avenue. Front of photograph reads: Snow-balling at Lut. Sem., 1906.
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.
Exterior of Northome parsonage with family in front. Taken in the Winter. Back of photo labeled, "Northome Preaching Place." Front typed, "Rev. H. Jensen and family, Northome, Minn."
Music was always an important part of life for Norwegian American Lutherans. This postcard shows the members of Red Wing Seminary's Choral Union. Back of photograph reads: Postcard, Choral Union, 1909-1910
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.
A common practice among church bodies and seminaries is to have an annual conference or ""convocation"" for the clergy for the purpose of fellowship, edification, and continuing education. Shown here is one such convocation on the campus of the United Church Seminary in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul in 1910. A caption indicates that room rent was 50 cents and board cost $3. Attendees were required to bring their own bedclothes and towels. It is interesting to note a number of women and children front and center on the photograph. Since the clergy was all male at this time, they are presumably the family of attendees or faculty. Front of photograph reads: Convocation at the United Lutheran Seminary Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 1910. Back of photograph reads: Ministers Conference at Luther Seminary August 1910?, Convocation lecture topics: Pastor & the young people - Dr. C.M. Wesnig, Organized Young Peoples Work - Dr. C.M. Wesnig, Luther League Topic - Dr. C.M. Wesnig, Bible Hours - Pastor Peder Tangjerd, Intro to Pastoral Theology - Pastor Halvard Roalkram, New Testament Study - Dr. M.O. Bockman, Our Madagascar Mission - Prof. O.M. Stolee, Absolution & Lord's Supper - Pastor N.B. Thvedt, Psychotherapeutics - Pastor Thore Eggen, The Church Situation in Norway - Pastor Solendahl.
Congregation outside of Pontoppidan Lutheran Church. Handwritten on front of photograph, "Ved indvielsen av Kirkegaarden i Pontoppidan menighet, Ellendale, Minn.". Written on back "Pontoppidan Lutheran Church Ellendale, Minn. 5 1/2 mi. N., 4 1/2 mi. W."
Professional group portrait of Ladies Aid members outside Trinity Lutheran Church. Names of some members are written on the front of the photograph in pencil - please see photograph for names.
This was one of the buildings on the campus of Red Wing Seminary. The educational mission at Red Wing Seminary eventually encompassed a nine-year program: a two-year academy, a fou- year college department, and a three year seminary. With the 1917 merger of the Hauge Synod into the Norwegian Lutheran Church, the seminary department was merged into Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul. The college department was merged into St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and St. Olaf's academy was merged into Red Wing. The academy struggled into the 1920s and the buildings, like this one, were used for other educational purposes into the 1930s when hard economic times forced the closing of the campus. Back of photograph reads: Red Wing Seminary, Red Wing, Minnesota.
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.
Professional portrait of Pontoppidan congregation outside of church. "Ved femtiaarsfesten av Pontoppidan menighet, Ellendale, Minn. Juni 1918 [50 year Anniversary]" is handwritten on front of photograph.
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.