The Old Kirke Museum

10/15/2026

We'll Be On The Manistee River Valley Quilt Tour!
Our sincere thanks to the Arts and Culture Alliance of Manistee County for making this possible for us.

• What it is: A collection of community-designed and painted wooden quilt squares affixed to local historical buildings, barns, and structures.
•Manistee Tourism Historical Theme: Each square features a unique pattern representing the local history, heritage, and stories of Manistee County buildings and communities.
• How to Explore: It operates as a self-guided driving and exploration route.
• Resources: Recommended route maps and written explanations detailing the history behind each quilt square are provided through the Manistee County Tourism Authority.

OUR DESIGN:
The Old Kirke Museum quilt square is based on traditional Scandinavian designs and symbols to honor Manistee’s earliest Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian immigrants who built this church building in 1868 as a place to worship and enjoy familiar fellowship.

Scandinavian design focuses on simplicity, practicality, and a deep respect for nature. The heart is a deeply rooted symbol in Scandinavian design, representing not so much romantic love as here in the U.S., but rather connection, devotion, warmth, and the cozy philosophy of hygge, embracing emotional balance of comfort, contentment, and lagom - not too much, not too little.

We chose to incorporate Danish julehjerter, the traditional Danish woven hearts created by beloved Danish author Hans Christian Andersen , and stylized, simplified flowers inspired by the Nordic landscape of forest botanicals with a nod to the Norwegian tradition of rosemaling, symbolizing nature as the ultimate anchor.

10/08/2026

We will always take time to remember the Great Fire of 1871 and how this modest little wooden building still stands.

October 8, 1871 – The Great Fire Reaches Manistee - Yet...
"At Walnut Street Our Church Stood Untouched – While Buildings All Around Had Been Laid Waste. Stumps of trees in the close neighborhood were still on fire; but the church was beyond danger."
Given the massive devastation of Manistee's great fire it is amazing Our Saviour's Church ( now The Old Kirke Museum) escaped the fire even when surrounded by it.

10/03/2026

October 3, 1987. Look at the beautiful bride, Barbara, becoming Mrs. Knudstrup that day. Barb is a long standing board member of the Old Kirke and our treasurer emeritus! What can you tell us about that day?

This little church building has seen lovely weddings since 1868 and we hope to host many more. Maybe thinking of renewing your vows? We are here for you. We'll even ring the church bell.

09/04/2026

A Wedding Here at The Old Kirke! We couldn't be more thrilled nor more honored.

McLinden, McComb to wed in September
Click the link in the comments 👇️

09/02/2026

A few hours ago in the Kingdom of Norway, Haakon VIII, the son of King Harald V, was sworn in as the 8th as King of Norway. We at the Old Kirke share in the sorrow at the passing of King Harald and wish the newly crowned King Haakon a long and fruitful reign.

The first pastor to preside over Manistee's newly formed congregation of 20 Danes, 12 Norwegians, and 8 Swedes, was the Norwegian Tobias Wilhelm Hanson Wald who came to Manistee in 1867 and conducted sermons wherever possible for our earliest Scandinavian immigrants until this church building was begun in 1868.

08/27/2026

Ending Our Summer Speaker Series With An All-Time Favorite! Fred Colgren, Education Director at the Gilmore Car Museum will wittle down for us "The History of Cars". Big topic and Fred can put it all into perspective. Always thoroughly entertaining and informative, feel free to ask questions.

10am, Old Kirke Museum, 304 Walnut St., Manistee.
We want to THANK and THANK AGAIN our speakers for honoring us with their time and talent - humbled, grateful - and THANK YOU, everyone, for coming out and supporting the Old Kirke this summer. Where would we be without you?

We plan to develop a few more programs and events through the year and we'll keep you posted. We even have a wedding at the Old Kirke this September!!!

08/19/2026

Ed Grafton, who writes under the pen name Henry Granger, will be at the Old Kirke Museum at 10 am Thursday, Aug. 20, to discuss his latest book, The Supper Club Murders. Part of the backstory for the book takes place at the museum, when the building was still Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. The event is free. The Old Kirke is located at 304 Walnut St. in Manistee.

Manistee County Library

08/15/2026

Who is the mysterious Ed Grafton?
Ed Grafton is a Michigan author who writes historical crime fiction and murder mysteries under the pen name Henry Granger. The author has set part of his latest book, "Undertow — A Crime's Story", in Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, now known as the Old Kirke Museum. Hey, that's us!
Other Grafton titles include "The Supper Club Murders," "Seven Beaches, Seven Murders".

Michigan author to discuss mystery novel at Manistee event
Click the link in the comments 👇️

08/12/2026

If you love our beautiful native Michigan you'll love listening to Josh Shields - who will be speaking at the Old Kirke this Thursday, August 13, at 10am. Please join us for "The Birds and The Bees and The Plants They Love" (and check out our native plants garden.

The Manistee and Mason-Lake Conservation Districts' program will be held at the Old Kirke Museum on Thursday, Aug. 13.

08/08/2026

We’re open today until noon! Stop by and see some of the amazing artifacts in the oldest Danish Lutheran church building in the U.S. Check out our exhibit, entitled Big Sticks, detailing Manistee’s lumbering history. See the Madsen Dioramas, hand carved scenes depicting the seasons of lumber camp.