The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church is a historic church building in
Millville, Minnesota
Millville is a city along the Zumbro River in Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 182 at the 2010 census.
History
A post office called Millville has been in operation since 1867. The city was located at a point where th ...
, United States. It was built in 1874 and used successively by
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
,
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
, and
German immigrant congregations. The church and its adjacent cemetery were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1989 for having local significance in the theme of European ethnic heritage.
It was nominated for being the only intact surviving ethnic church from the peak of European immigration to
Wabasha County
Wabasha County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,387. Its county seat is Wabasha.
Wabasha County is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The recently organized Mi ...
.
History
The congregation was organized in 1869 by Swedish immigrant settlers in the area, but the community could not afford to build a church until 1874. When they had the money, they acquired the minimal materials, such as lumber and stone. They quarried buff-colored
Oneota limestone from the land of one of the members. Interior furnishings such as the pews and pulpit were handmade. The total cost of materials was $802.60. After the church was built it continued to have a difficult history, as many of its families moved to the west. Many of the Swedish immigrants were replaced by Norwegian-American families, who used the church until 1914. In 1905 Grace German Evangelical Church began holding services there. It was used by other groups until 1967, and then it was abandoned until the Millville Historical Association purchased the building in the late 1970s.
See also
*
List of Lutheran churches
*
References
External links
*
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
1874 establishments in Minnesota
Buildings and structures in Wabasha County, Minnesota
Churches completed in 1874
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
Gothic Revival church buildings in Minnesota
Limestone churches in the United States
Lutheran churches in Minnesota
National Register of Historic Places in Wabasha County, Minnesota
Stone churches in Minnesota
Swedish-American culture in Minnesota