Vesterheim opens exhibit about Lutheran colleges

Old Main at the "Norwegian Lutheran College," the predecessor of Luther College in 1865

Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum has opened a new exhibition called "Norwegian-American Lutheran Colleges." 

The exhibition focuses on the founding of Norwegian-American Lutheran colleges and other institutions of higher education during the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.  It examines the conflict and controversies that resulted in the creation of several contemporary Norwegian-American Lutheran colleges, including Augustana College, Augsburg College, Bethany Lutheran College, Concordia College, Luther College, Pacific Lutheran University and St. Olaf College.

"It was interesting for me to learn that many of the colleges were founded because of the conflicts and controversies that were going on in the Norwegian-American Lutheran churches as well as the larger American society," said Jennifer Kovarik, Vesterheim Registrar and curator of the exhibition.

In honor of Luther College's sesquicentennial, a section of the exhibition includes photographs and letters from Morris Hasvold, a 1924 graduate of Luther College.