Vesterheim explores the diversity of American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American experience and showcases the best in historic and contemporary folk arts in the Norwegian tradition.
Look up to see sails. Look down and around you to see the outline of a small ship. Imagine what it would have been like to immigrate to the United States on a sailing ship in the 1800s. The journey may take 6 to 14 weeks. Why are you leaving your . . . — — Map (db m236682) HM
Overview Nineteenth century Norwegian farmers grew food for their families instead of for income. Many farms in Norway used small water-powered mills to grind grain, press apples and process cloth. These mills were usually only big enough to . . . — — Map (db m236295) HM
Overview Norway's population nearly tripled during the 19th century. This increase, combined with restrictive inheritance laws and lack of farmable land, made it extremely difficult to escape rural poverty. Most Norwegian immigrants were from . . . — — Map (db m236296) HM
Overview New immigrants often moved to existing ethnic communities where faith, food, and culture were familiar. Sometimes, these new immigrants would need to navigate shared living space and class differences with strangers along with living . . . — — Map (db m236297) HM
Overview Many immigrants found community in churches where people spoke their language and held familiar beliefs. Women played very important roles in building community in Norwegian Lutheran churches, even though they were not allowed to vote . . . — — Map (db m236298) HM
Overview In the mid-19th century, a group of Norwegian immigrants who followed the state church in Norway wanted to create a system of schools associated with the church. Congregation members wanted to send their children to public schools to . . . — — Map (db m236299) HM
Overview Vesterheim was the first institution in the United States to collect and preserve buildings by moving them to a museum setting. The Eriksen-Hansen Stabbur protected grain and meat from pests and moisture by elevating them off the . . . — — Map (db m236399) HM
Overview Hans and Anna Haugan were in their fifties when they immigrated to America. Not everyone who immigrated to America stayed. By some estimates, nearly one in five Norwegian immigrants returned home. Some left because they earned enough . . . — — Map (db m236300) HM
Overview Native Americans lived in northeast Iowa for thousands of years before being forced off their land by the U.S. government to make room for non-native settlers. Colonizers arrived in this area in 1848 and came from numerous countries in . . . — — Map (db m236608) HM
Overview Mikkel and Hage Sennes emigrated from Norway with a variety of skills that helped them eventually thrive in America. They also learned new skills once they settled in the U.S. They built this blacksmith shop on their farm in Minnesota . . . — — Map (db m236609) HM
Overview Northeast Iowa was home to many different Native American groups that utilized the natural resources of this area for thousands of years. After Native Americans were forced out of the region by the U.S. government, European settlers . . . — — Map (db m236400) HM
Overview Many buildings on farms in Norway were designed to serve one purpose. This building was probably used to dry grain for brewing beer. While many Norwegians and Norwegian Americans brewed their own beer, others fought for temperance. . . . — — Map (db m236672) HM
Overview The Homestead Act of 1862 made government land taken from Native Americans available for free if it was used for five years. This law allowed millions of European immigrants to settle in the prairies and woodlands of the central . . . — — Map (db m236673) HM
Overview At Vesterheim Heritage Park, the landscape is a sponge for cleaning and absorbing stormwater. The park uses permeable paving, native plantings, and soil restoration to release water slowly into the ground and manage runoff and help . . . — — Map (db m236674) HM
Timber Framing in America and Norway There are many ways to build a house or structure. You can stack logs horizontally to form walls, a system that you can see throughout Heritage Park. You can use narrow pieces of sawn lumber in preset . . . — — Map (db m236677) HM
