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On a hill at the edge of campus
stands Old Muskego Church. It was built in the Wind Lake area
near Racine, Wisconsin, in 1844 by Norwegian immigrants four years
before Wisconsin became a state.
[ Read an article
relating to its construction in American Woodturner magazine.
]
Watch the video:
Fathers and sons cut down, cleaned and hauled over 200 trees
while mothers and daughters went searching for moss for the
chinking. All this was done in the midst of the immigrants'
fight for survival. Even while they were hunting for
food, building their own shelters and gathering wood for heat
throughout the winter, they built this house of worship.
The congregation sat divided-men on one side, women on the
other-in this unheated building. The lay leader, or "klokker," sat on
the men's side in front and helped lead worship.
In 1904, it was moved to the campus of Luther Seminary piece
by piece and now stands as a reminder that it was the people who
sat in these pews who had the vision for this seminary as a
place where pastors would train. Their descendants still
come to take care of the old building on a regular basis. It is
still used as a sanctuary; for worship, weddings, baptisms and
ordinations. Individuals wishing to visit to Old Muskego
Church, should go to the Information Desk in the Olson Campus Center
on our campus. The hours for the Olson Campus Center are available
by calling 651 641-3456 or visiting our
Information Desk web page. For group tours, please contact Lynne
Moratzka (in advance) 651 641-3419 or
lmoratzk@luthersem.edu. | 
