| 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, Division of Historic Preservation.
The vernacular Gothic Revival church is a simple, front-gabled building constructed of limestone, quarried south of Cambridge. Its focal point is a three-story, pyramidal roofed tower, which abuts the gabled front. Triplets of tall, narrow lancet arches pierce the belfry, and another lancet arch frames the entry. The Willerup United Methodist Church has a stone exterior and leaded windows. A wooden bell cupola rests atop a central stone tower. The windows have varied shapes, from pointed arch on the front, round arch on the tower and flat arch on the side. A decorative iron lightning rod is visible at the apex of the steeple.
The Willerup United Methodist Church is said to be the oldest, as well as the first, Scandanavian Methodist church in the world. Dissidents from Norway’s state Lutheran church began emigrating to the United States in the 1820s, and by the 1840s, a small community of Norwegians and Danes had sprouted in the Cambridge area. In 1850, the Methodist Board of Missions sent the Rev. Christian B. Willerup, who spoke fluent Norwegian, to bring its evangelical message to this Scandinavian outpost. Christian B. Willerup was the minister who raised money to have the structure built. It was constructed at a cost of $4,000 and planned by Rev. Willerup himself. Even Jenny Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale," who was then touring the country, performed a benefit concert and donated $200 of the proceeds toward the building's construction. After the church dedication in 1852, Willerup returned to Europe, where he served as superintendent of all Methodist mission work in the Scandinavian countries. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. "Guide to Historic Dane County," Dane County Historical Society, 3-31-1975.
B. GOULD "HISTORIC PLACES IN RURAL DANE CO" 'GUIDE TO HISTORIC DANE COUNTY' PAMPHLET, #11, DANE CO HIST SOC, MAR 31, 1975 IN DANE CO INFO FILE
C. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript.
Prepared by Landscape Research, Ltd. for the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Dane County: A Guide to the Rural Landscape, 1978. |
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