Little Norway, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Little Norway
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The Norway Building built in Norway for Chicago's Columbian Exposition.
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3576 CTH JG, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin |
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| Area | 53 acres (21 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Hansteen, Albert Waldemar; Nerdrum, Stanley |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| NRHP reference No. | 98000169 |
| Added to NRHP | March 16, 1998 |
Little Norway was a special place in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. It was like a living museum that showed what a Norwegian village looked like. Imagine a whole farm from the mid-1800s, brought back to life! This unique spot was even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, Little Norway closed its doors in late 2012.
The Story of Little Norway
Little Norway started with a man named Osten Olson Haugen. He came from Telemark, Norway, and settled on about 40 acres of land in the 1850s. Mr. Haugen built his home and other buildings using timber he cut right from his property. His family farmed the land for many years, until 1920.
In the early 1930s, a businessman from Chicago named Isak Dahle had an idea. He had just visited Norway and remembered his own childhood in Wisconsin. He wanted to create a Norwegian farm as a gift for his family. He called it Little Norway. He also gave it a Norwegian name, Nissedahle, which was a fun play on words, combining his last name with "dal," meaning valley.
Isak Dahle passed away in 1937. After his death, his relative, Asher Hobson, took over the site. Asher Hobson was a professor at the University of Wisconsin. Later, his daughter Marcelaine Winner and then his grandson Scott Winner managed Little Norway.
After World War II, the owners offered to sell Little Norway to the State of Wisconsin for just $1. However, the state decided not to buy it because they didn't want to pay for the upkeep.
Little Norway closed in late 2012. The owner, Scott Winner, said that the costs of running the museum were much higher than the money it brought in. For example, the property had an annual tax bill of $22,000. To help pay these bills, he has been selling parts of the collection to other museums and private collectors. Since it closed, Scott Winner has talked with the Wisconsin Historical Society and other groups about buying the property, but no agreement has been made yet.
The Norway Building
Perhaps the most famous part of Little Norway was the Norway Building. This special building was first built in Orkdal, Norway. It was made for the Norway Pavilion at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It was designed by Christian Thams.
After the Chicago World's Fair, the Norway Building was sold to a rich Chicago businessman named C.K.G. Billings. He had it moved by train to his vacation home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Over the years, the Norway Building had several owners in Lake Geneva. The Wrigley family, known for their chewing gum, even used it as a private theater.
During the Great Depression, the Norway Building started to fall apart. But in 1935, Isak Dahle, who founded Little Norway, bought it and saved it. It was one of the few examples of Norse stave church architecture outside of Norway. It was also one of the only buildings left from the Chicago World's Fair, along with the Maine State Building.
After Little Norway closed in 2012, people from Orkdal, Norway, where the building was first made, started raising money. They wanted to buy the Norway Building and bring it back home across the ocean. They raised $700,000 from the Norwegian government and private donations. In 2015, experts carefully took the building apart. It was then shipped to Norway and put back together. The reassembled building was officially opened on September 9, 2017. A group from Norway, led by the current director of the Norway Building, Arne Aspjell, will place a special historical plaque in Jackson Park in Chicago. This will be near where the original building stood in 1893.
Other Cool Attractions
Little Norway had many other interesting buildings and features:
- Stabbur – This was a special storehouse for food. It was built on a raised foundation of heavy timbers to keep food safe.
- Sod-roofed cabin – This cabin was built into the side of a hill. It had a roof covered with grass and soil, which allowed goats to graze right on top of it!
- Main cabin – This building once housed farm animals like cattle and sheep.
- Spring house – This small building protected the pure, fresh spring water that flowed through the property.
- Stue – This was the main family home where the Haugen family lived.
- Bachelor's cabin – This cabin was first used for weaving and spinning wool. Later, it became a cozy home for Osten Haugen's brother-in-law.
- Laden – This was a tool room that was turned into a snug cabin. Its roof was covered with old-fashioned, hand-split wooden shakes.
