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A Dying Norway – in a Living America? Exhibit Opens

November 8

A Dying Norway – in a Living America? Exhibit Opens

November 8, 2024

Location: Vesterheim Museum

A Dying Norway – in a Living America? Exhibit Opens on November 8, 2024.

This exhibit of documentary photographs by Lars Idar Waage is a portrait of Stavanger, Illinois, by someone from 6,000 miles away in Stavanger, Norway. The tiny town of Stavanger, Illinois, in LaSalle County, is the location of the first permanent settlement of Norwegian immigrants in the United States, including some of those who sailed on the Restauration. This ship brought the first organized group of emigrants from Stavanger, Norway, in 1825. Through these images, Waage shares how Norwegian identity and traditions are expressed in the Fox River Valley of Illinois. 

This exhibit is made possible by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from William and Kathi Wild. 
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.

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Date:
November 8
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