200 Years of Norwegians in America: Secret Societies

To commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the first organized ship of Norwegian immigrants to the United States, Vesterheim presents a special exhibition featuring important objects, photographs, themes, and stories from 200 years of Norwegians in America. Luther College students in Dr. Anna Peterson’s Scandinavian Immigration History course chose some of the objects for the exhibition. Working in teams, they selected an object to study in depth and then contributed text for the label. Each team also created recordings to share the full story of the object and its place in Norwegian-American history.

The exhibition is open through January 31, 2026, and is made possible through generous gifts to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from the Vesterheim Board of Trustees.

Learn more about secret societies through a Masonic apron from students Thea Bentley, Wyatt Murphy, and Brock Ohlensehlen and their guests Tim Felton and Scott Nading.

Masonic apron:

Gustav Beutlich, originally from Stavanger, Norway, became a Mason while living in Scotland in 1869. He continued as a Mason in Tacoma, Washington, and found membership helped him build connections in the community for his work as a realtor and owner of the newspaper, Tacoma Tidende.

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