Churches on Washington Island

Two very different churches are on Washington Island, Wisconsin. The one on the right reflects part of the Scandinavian heritage of the people on the Island.

In the Middle Ages, it wasn’t uncommon to see "stave churches" made of wooden posts and pillars scattered throughout Scandinavia. Today, there aren’t many of the churches left, but there’s a growing interest in building new churches that resemble the style — a prominent example of which stands on Washington Island in Wisconsin's Door County. The foundation for the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church's stave church (modeled after a church in Borgun, Norway) was built in 1991 and completed three years later. The wooden church is mainly used for ceremonial purposes such as weddings, while the main church building which holds the regular mass is located across the street. The stave church is only open seasonally, but the convincing air of Norwegian history permeates year-round. 

Saint Michael's Chapel has an interesting history: Located on Jackson Harbor Road, in the 1800’s it was constructed as the Washington Harbor School. In 1900’s the building was moved to the present location and became Koyen’s General Merchandise Store. During 1964 it was purchased by the Lehman family and transformed into St. Michael’s Chapel.  In 2004 the building was renovated to serve the next generations of Island Friends. Open to the public.