Property Record
S 7TH ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Old Trinity Lutheran Church |
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| Reference Number: | 51666 |
| Location (Address): | S 7TH ST |
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| County: | Trempealeau |
| City: | Galesville |
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| Year Built: | 1909 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1983 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | Early Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | Unknown |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 1984 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. Approved for nomination on 4/27/84 as part of the Galesville Multiple Resources, but demolished before actual listing. A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. The old Trinity Church is a 1 1/2 story dark tan brick structure with an ashlar foundation and adjoining bell tower. Prominantly featured are the quoins of alternating rough and smooth concrete blocks. Window openings are either pointed drop arch or tudor arch type and are decorated with light brick segmental arches and stone sills. Darker keystones decorate most of the arches. Segmental arches also appear over the front entrance. All windows have been removed and boarded up from the inside. The steeply pitched gable roof is decorated by carved bargeboard. The projecting entry roof has similar barge boards and is supported by two large brackets. The square bell tower is missing its original steeple and bell enclosure. The original wooden double doors lead to the interior of the church. Only the skeleton of the interior remains (floors and walls) and the remnants of an aborted attempt to divide the building into apartments are there. Although the church has lost some of its architectural detail, its main features and its relationship to its site are still intact. The Galesville area was settled first by Yankees, and then by a large group of Norwegian immigrants. By the turn of the century, the Norwegian settlers were the dominant ethnic group in the region. Along with their other cultural traditions, the Norwegians brought with them the Lutheran religion. Between the years 1880 and 1905, numerous schisms occurred among Norwegian Lutherans in the Trempealeau/Jackson County area and many congregations affiliated with various Lutheran synods. By the turn of the century the group known as the Norwegian Synod Lutherans emerged as the dominant religious body for Galesville Lutherans. In 1902 the Synod Lutherans took over Gale College and in 1909 built the Trinity Church building. Further mergers took place, and by 1918 the Lutherans were affiliated with the Lutheran Church of America synod. From that time on, Trinity Church was the dominant Lutheran Church in the area. This building served the congregation until the mid-1950s, when a new structure was constructed. The building has been vacant since. The Chruch is significant because it represents the strong Norwegian ties which made Galesville a significant community in the area. Because of its relationship to Gale College, the Church is significant to the development of the community. Even though it has lost some integrity, enough of the building remains intact as a resource significant in Galesville's development. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Inscription on church. B. The Galesville Centennial, 1954. C. Legreid, Ann M. and David Ward, "Religious Schism and the Development of Rural Immigrant Communities: Norwegian Lutherans in Western Wisconsin, 1880-1905." Upper Midwest Histoyr, Vol. 2, 1982. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |