Little Norway, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Little Norway is a tourist attraction and living museum
of a Norwegian
village located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
. Little Norway consists of a fully restored farm dating to the mid-19th century. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, Norway
, settled on 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) during the 1850s. Mr. Haugen built a dwelling house and other buildings out of timber cut on the property. The Haugen family farmed the land until 1920.
In the early 1930s, a Chicago businessman named Isak Dahle was inspired by a recent tour of Norway and memories of his childhood in Southeastern Wisconsin to replicate a Norwegian farm as a gift to his family. He christened it Little Norway and gave it the Norwegian name Nissedahle—a pun on the word dal, meaning valley, and his surname. Dahle died of cancer in 1937. Little Norway still honors his legacy as a museum.
for the Norway Pavilion at Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
. It was moved to this location and is one of the few examples of original Norse
stave church
architecture outside of Norway. Along with the Maine State Building
in Poland, Maine
, the Norway building is one of the few remaining buildings from the Chicago World's Fair.
After the closing of the Chicago World’s Fair, the Norway Building was sold to C.K.G Billings, a prominent Chicago business man, and relocated by train to his vacation estate in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
. While in Lake Geneva, the Norway Building passed through multiple owners and was used primarily for recreation. The Norway Building fell into disrepair during the Great Depression
. It was purchased by Little Norway founder Isak Dahle in 1935.
Living museum
A living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
of a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
village located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
Blue Mounds is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 708. The population was estimated at 766 in 2009. The village is adjacent to the Town of Blue Mounds and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Blue...
. Little Norway consists of a fully restored farm dating to the mid-19th century. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
Little Norway began when Osten Olson Haugen, an immigrant from TelemarkTelemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, settled on 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) during the 1850s. Mr. Haugen built a dwelling house and other buildings out of timber cut on the property. The Haugen family farmed the land until 1920.
In the early 1930s, a Chicago businessman named Isak Dahle was inspired by a recent tour of Norway and memories of his childhood in Southeastern Wisconsin to replicate a Norwegian farm as a gift to his family. He christened it Little Norway and gave it the Norwegian name Nissedahle—a pun on the word dal, meaning valley, and his surname. Dahle died of cancer in 1937. Little Norway still honors his legacy as a museum.
Norway Building
Perhaps the best-known attraction at Little Norway is the Norway Building which was built in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
for the Norway Pavilion at Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. It was moved to this location and is one of the few examples of original Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
architecture outside of Norway. Along with the Maine State Building
Maine State Building
The Maine State Building was originally at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Designed by Chicago architect Charles Sumner Frost, a Lewiston, Maine native and MIT graduate, the building was constructed of granite with a slate roof. All the materials were from Maine and crafted by craftsmen and...
in Poland, Maine
Poland, Maine
Poland is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,866 at the 2000 census. Home to Range Ponds State Park, Poland is a historic resort area...
, the Norway building is one of the few remaining buildings from the Chicago World's Fair.
After the closing of the Chicago World’s Fair, the Norway Building was sold to C.K.G Billings, a prominent Chicago business man, and relocated by train to his vacation estate in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...
. While in Lake Geneva, the Norway Building passed through multiple owners and was used primarily for recreation. The Norway Building fell into disrepair during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It was purchased by Little Norway founder Isak Dahle in 1935.
Other attractions
- Stabbur - a food storehouse on a raised foundation of heavy timbers
- Sod roofSod roofA sod roof or turf roof is a traditional Scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards. Until the late 19th century it was the most common roof on rural log houses in large parts of Scandinavia...
ed cabin - built into the hillside to allow goats to graze on its rooftop - Main cabin - which once housed cattle and sheep
- Spring house - shelters the pure, spring-fed water which runs through the property
- Stue - the family home
- Bachelor’s cabin - originally a loom and spinning wheel space, adapted to house Osten Haugen’s brother-in-law
- Laden - a tool room converted to a snug cabin, roofed with old-fashioned hand-split shakes