National Register of Historic Places

Washington Prairie Methodist Church

Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa
Listed
January 29, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80001463

About this property

Washington Prairie Methodist Church is a historic church building located southeast of Decorah, Iowa, United States. The congregation was established by Ole Peter Petersen. He returned to his native Norway in 1853 and founded the first Methodist congregation there. Washington Prairie Methodist is considered the mother church of Methodism in Norway. In the early years the congregation met in private houses. They built this church building themselves from 1863 to 1868. With its pediments and entablature/cornice it is Greek Revival in style. However, the windows on the side elevations are Gothic. It also features a round-arch entry on its gabled end. By 1888 services were only held here quarterly, and continued until about 1920, when the church was officially closed. Over the years some vandalism and settling of the structure occurred. The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah restored the church and adjacent cemetery in 1972. The bishop of the North European Methodist Conference participated in its re-dedication later that year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Location

Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa
43.23801, -91.74393

Categories

EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTRELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Cooley-Whitney House
Industrial
3.4 mi
Jacobson Farm
Industrial
4.4 mi
Birdsall Lime Kiln
Industrial
4.6 mi
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Combination Depot
Industrial
4.6 mi
Decorah Hospital
Industrial
4.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Washington Prairie Methodist Church listed on the National Register?

Washington Prairie Methodist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 29, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Washington Prairie Methodist Church?

Washington Prairie Methodist Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Washington Prairie Methodist Church?

The period of significance for Washington Prairie Methodist Church is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Washington Prairie Methodist Church?

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