About to share a piece of Swedish-American heritage that was part of the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. And once again, I have plans to check it out more up close and personal once we get a chance to return to visit. Seems like drive-bys are the thing these days. Hope you enjoy another contribution hailing from Lindsborg, Kansas. So to start, here’s the story behind my doors for the week….

The Swedish Pavilion, the largest building to the south, was originally the Swedish exposition building at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. Modeled after traditional Swedish manor houses, the Pavilion was prefabricated in Sweden, shipped to America and reassembled in St. Louis. At the close of the World’s Fair, it was presented to Bethany College. The building was again dismantled and then moved to Lindsborg where it was located on the campus of Bethany College. It housed classrooms for the domestic sciences and was home to the art department under the direction of Birger Sandzein. In 1969 the Pavilion was moved intact to its present location in Heritage Park at the Old Mill Museum and was restored by Smoky Valley Historical Association. During his visit to Lindsborg in 1976, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden dedicated the Swedish Pavilion to all Swedes and Swedish-Americans.

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My knowledge of Swedish manor houses is very minimal but I do love the multi-paned windows on this one. And the Maypole in Swedish is called the Midsommarstången. This one holds two dala horses at the top of the cross bar. Example of one of their many dalas is next.

Thanks to my eldest I added to my salt and pepper shaker collection. These charming dalas add a lovely splash of color!

Finally a wider view of Heritage Square where the Pavilion is currently located. There are 7 historical buildings to explore here and I’m ready for spring so we can hit the road and take a look! What we’d call a real day trip destination. Bucket list has officially been added to.

Thanks for dropping by this week for my Thursday Doors entry. Please take a few to visit Dan at No Facilities and he will direct you to many other great doors from around the world.