Trondhjem Norwegian Lutheran Church
Historic Trondhjem Church
8605 Garfield Ave
Lonsdale, Rice County, Minnesota 55046
Historic Trondhjem Church
8605 Garfield Ave
Lonsdale, Rice County, Minnesota 55046
Trondhjem Norwegian Lutheran Church History
Historic Trondhjem Church is located near Lonsdale, Minnesota in Rice County. The church was built in 1899 by the Norwegian immigrant farmers who settled in what was then called Trondhjem, Minnesota and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
No longer occupied by an active church congregation, the church is now under the care and restoration of the Trondhjem Community Preservation Society, Inc.
As a wood frame country church, with a simple, elegant design and painted white, it stands on a high hill along a gravel road, visible to the rural community for miles around. Its architecture and décor are clearly rooted in the Norwegian heritage of its founders. The ancient stave churches of Norway are reflected in its modified cruciform design, with a central short tower at its apex and a larger corner tower.
The first church on the same location was erected in 1878, and the chancel in this building dates to that original church. It has no basement and rests on a fieldstone foundation. The original bell still hangs in the bell tower. The circular attic window at the front of the building was originally painted with an eye, a traditional symbol of creation, and locally referred to as the “all seeing eye.”
ConstitutionOn May 15, 1876, a congregation meeting took place at which a name was chosen and a constitution adopted. The name selected was “Throndhjem’s Norwegian Lutheran Church.”
The following names signed the constitution: Peder O. Berg P. Danielson James Nyhus Ole Rygg E. Nilsen Bertinus Nilsen Guttorm Nilsen N. Solberg P. Olsen E. Stratte H. Olsen Ole Matsen Herman Lyng Amund Fossum Ingegrigt Skauge Johannes Fossum Oluf Stratte A. Guttormsen Ole Hansen Ole Johnson O. Anderson E. Skauge J. Danielson Eskel Quinnell Lars Berg O. Anderson H. Grotte Ole Skauge.
Historic Trondhjem Church is located near Lonsdale, Minnesota in Rice County. The church was built in 1899 by the Norwegian immigrant farmers who settled in what was then called Trondhjem, Minnesota and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
No longer occupied by an active church congregation, the church is now under the care and restoration of the Trondhjem Community Preservation Society, Inc.
As a wood frame country church, with a simple, elegant design and painted white, it stands on a high hill along a gravel road, visible to the rural community for miles around. Its architecture and décor are clearly rooted in the Norwegian heritage of its founders. The ancient stave churches of Norway are reflected in its modified cruciform design, with a central short tower at its apex and a larger corner tower.
The first church on the same location was erected in 1878, and the chancel in this building dates to that original church. It has no basement and rests on a fieldstone foundation. The original bell still hangs in the bell tower. The circular attic window at the front of the building was originally painted with an eye, a traditional symbol of creation, and locally referred to as the “all seeing eye.”
ConstitutionOn May 15, 1876, a congregation meeting took place at which a name was chosen and a constitution adopted. The name selected was “Throndhjem’s Norwegian Lutheran Church.”
The following names signed the constitution: Peder O. Berg P. Danielson James Nyhus Ole Rygg E. Nilsen Bertinus Nilsen Guttorm Nilsen N. Solberg P. Olsen E. Stratte H. Olsen Ole Matsen Herman Lyng Amund Fossum Ingegrigt Skauge Johannes Fossum Oluf Stratte A. Guttormsen Ole Hansen Ole Johnson O. Anderson E. Skauge J. Danielson Eskel Quinnell Lars Berg O. Anderson H. Grotte Ole Skauge.