200 Years of Norwegians
in America

December 6, 2024 - January 2026

The ship Restauration set sail for America from Stavanger, Norway, on July 4, 1825, with 52 Norwegians aboard. To commemorate this bicentennial anniversary, Vesterheim presents a special exhibition focusing on Norwegian emigration, by featuring important objects, photographs, themes, and stories from 200 years of Norwegians in America.

Even small objects can tell larger stories. A simple, pressed glass goblet, for example, was used as a communion chalice in a Methodist church. Nels Johnson (Kaasa) converted to Methodism in Racine County, Wisconsin, in 1846, becoming one of the first if not the first Norwegian-born Methodists in the world. Fellow convert O. P. Peterson left the U.S. in 1853 to establish the first Methodist congregation in Norway. Freedom from a state church in Norway, having the choice to be any religion or no religion at all, was one of the factors that pulled some immigrants to the United States.

Luther College students in Dr. Anna Pederson’s Scandinavian Immigration History course will choose some of the objects for the exhibition. Working in teams, they will select an object to study in depth and then contribute text for the label. Each team will also create a podcast to share the full story of the object and its place in Norwegian American history.

Join Vesterheim and Luther College students for a free gallery talk about this exhibit on December 10 at 3:00 p.m. Find out more here.

This exhibition is made possible through generous gifts to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from the Vesterheim Board of Trustees.

Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the first organized emigration of Norwegians to the United States with Vesterheim in 2025! The single-masted sloop, Restauration, left Stavanger on July 4, 1825, with 52 people on board and landed in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825.

Vesterheim joins Crossings, a group of Norwegian-American organizations, to commemorate this anniversary with programming inspired by the strong connections between the people of Norway and the United States. Whether you have Norwegian roots or an interest in Scandinavian traditions, we invite you to join Vesterheim’s special programs, exhibitions, and classes to share the history and traditions of Norwegian Americans.