Heart Prairie Lutheran Church
Whitewater, US
Heart Prairie Lutheran Church of Whitewater, Wisconsin, United States, was a historic church organized in 1844 by pioneer Lutheran minister, Claus Lauritz Clausen. Before the church was built, services were held under oak trees, in the Lyman School, and in log cabins. One of those early log cabins,
owned by Gundar Halvorsen, now sits on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Norwegian pioneers began hauling brick by oxcart to build the present church, which was completed between 1855 and 1857. About this time the congregation joined with congregations at Whitewater, Palmyra and Sugar Creek to call the same Lutheran pastor. During the later 19th century the congregation grew to over 100 members. After 1880 an organist played a reed pump organ that led the congregational hymns. The Norwegian language was used in the church until 1902. It was only then that the English language was introduced into the services, but not used exclusively until 1920. During the early 1900s membership began declining as a result of families moving out of the Heart Prairie area. Finally in 1948, because of dwindling membership, the congregation merged with First English Lutheran Church of...
Listen to the audio guide for Heart Prairie Lutheran Church Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen offNearby
- University of Wisconsin–Whitewater university · 10 km away
- Perkins Stadium stadium · 11 km away