OLOF SWENSSON FARM

An Innovative Immigrant
	Olof Swensson was born on May 19, 1843 in Ostmarken, in Kongvigers Parish, in Norway. He became deeply absorbed in Lutheran doctrine as a youth. He married Ingeborg Agnetta Pearson in 1869, and they immigrated to America three years later. They settled on a farm near Wegdahl in Chippewa County. Swensson became known for his many talents - his building abilities which are portrayed throughout the farm . his religious beliefs. He conducted weekly religious services in the large room upstairs. His sermons, in Norwegian, have been preserved .
his writing, which produced a book stating his convictions. his political activities. He proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and also ran unsuccessfully for Governor of the State of Minnesota.

After Olof Swensson's death in 1923, the farmstead gradually fell into disrepair, although his son, John, and daughters, Emma and Christine, continued to occupy the premises. At John's death in 1967, the property was bequeathed to the Chippewa County Historical Society.

17 acre farmstead 22 room brick farm house · Large timber-framed barn Grist mill with hand cut granite millstones Family burial plot The Barn The large timber-framed 1890s barn rests on a one-story granite foundation cut from locally gathered boulders. The barn's elaborate system of wind-bracing and notching attest to Swensson's skills as a designer and builder. Structural preservation of the barn was completed in 2003.

The House

The wood frame house was begun in 1901 and faced with a brick veneer in 1903. It was a monumental task to build the 22-room house, which Swensson set on a foundation of huge local granite stones, cut and laid in pattern by him and his daughter, Katerine (Katie).

The Grist Mill Remnants

A small grist mill was constructed near the barn. It was powered by horses and later by steam engine. Plans for the mill concept, found in the Swensson collection, show that it was of English origin. The burrs, or millstones, were made of local granite.

The Family Burial Plot

Olof Swensson fashioned concrete monuments for the family cemetery located on the farm. Nine of the family members are buried there. The wooden forms for the tombstones are displayed in the third floor of the house.

Moehring Building

The Moehring building is a 40-foot x 82 1/2 foot pole barn, built with funds donated to the Chippewa County Historical Society by Ernest Moehring. This structure provides storage and display area for farm equipment used in the early days.

Some of the artifacts on display inside include a walking plow, a walk-behind cultivator, and a handseeder from the 1800s. Also on display are a corn picker, two corn shellers, a two-seater buggy, a fanning mill, corn binder, and a foot-operated jigsaw.

The building houses a number of early tractors. Highlighted are a 1936 John Deere Model D, a 1935 Allis Chalmers Model WC, and a 1935 Oliver Hart Parr 28-44.

The Swensson Farm is home to the annual Horse Power Event held the second Saturday in September.

Directions to Swensson Farm Museum: 6 miles east of Montevideo on Highway 7, then 5 miles south on County Road 6. Open Sunday afternoons Memorial Day to Labor Day 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Guided tours available. Chippewa County Historical Society maintains and operates the Museum. Phone (320)269-7636 for more information.

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