Egge-Koren House, Decorah, IA by Tim Stewart Via Flickr: Decorah, IA (Winneshiek County) Vesterheim Heritage Park on Vesterheim’s campus includes 12 historic buildings in an open-air setting. The buildings depict the story of immigration, showcasing life in Norway in the 1800s and then life for immigrants in America. The park is a forested area, interspersed with glade-like openings that act as outdoor rooms. Egge-Koren House Rural Decorah, Iowa (1852) A typical first home built by immigrants of the husmann, or tenant farmer class, in Norway. It has been preserved in part because the owners, the Egge family, hosted a newly arrived Norwegian pastor, U.V. Koren, and his wife Elisabeth over the winter of 1853-54. U.V. Koren eventually established congregations and a legacy of service in a large geographic area out from Decorah. Elisabeth’s diary, available in Vesterheim’s Museum Store, describes the house and recounts local pioneer life in detail. (1) References (1) Vesterheim vesterheim.org/exhibit/egge-koren-house/

















