This tidy little building in the middle of Lanesboro north of Sylvan Park is the Sons of Norway Lodge. It looks quiet, but it’s been a very busy place for a very long time.

This location was originally a stone quarry dug out of a large bluff. It was also the site of a lime kiln. In 1910—the year Halley’s Comet said hello and Mark Twain bid farewell—Bethlehem Lutheran Church bought the property and built their social hall on it. For nearly 50 years it was regularly used for church meetings, celebrations, dinners, Sunday School classes, confirmation training, and more.

The Sons of Norway first organized internationally in 1895 to represent and serve people of Norwegian heritage in the U.S. and Canada. Today, with more than 50,000 members, it is the largest Norwegian organization outside of Norway. The local Sons of Norway chapter—a fixture in this heavily Norwegian community since the 1920s—bought this building from Bethlehem Lutheran in 1960 to be its chapter “lodge.” This Lodge—1-376—is called “Heimbygda” (pronounced “Hime-Beeg-Duh”), meaning “home-city.”

This Sons of Norway Lodge underwent major renovations and improvements in 2018 with grant funding from the Minnesota State Historical Society. Today it hosts local chapter events, and is also a popular rental facility for community celebrations, church meetings, wedding receptions, family reunions, musical concerts, barn dances, yoga groups, indoor markets, potluck dinners and parties.

This Sons of Norway lodge might be an easy to overlook but what happens here has great impact on Lanesboro. The strength of this town lies in its people—the Sons of Norway is where they love to connect!