Scandian Grove Lutheran Church (ELCA)

42869 County Road 52 (country location 10 miles from town in the Hamlet of Norseland)
St. Peter, MN 56082


Builder: Jan van Daalen (not shown in this photo)
Manuals: 3
Ranks: 6
Action: Mechanical

Notes: For years, David Fienen, Arlene Hilding and I had talked up tracker organs to the organist at Scandian Grove. After the July 4th explosion and fire destroyed the old church and the new Wicks organ, the congregation determined to rebuild without a mortgage, so the new church was paid for in three years. They also did not want to incur the expenses of an elevator or handicapped accessibility with a multi-floor building, so the entire church is on one level.

The annual lutefisk supper is a big tradition. The dining room and kitchen (with both gas and electric stoves) is larger than the sanctuary and across the narthex from the sanctuary.

To the surprise of the St. Peter organists, the church acquired a tiny tracker organ from Van Daalen in Minneapolis. The middle keyboard was the coupler. It was not much more than a practice organ, with 5 ranks of flutes and a single principal at 2'. I played for some services on it, and it was virtually impossible to lead the congregation with such a small organ. The carpeted room has no reverberation, so the organ got no help from the acoustics.

The organ was not retained for long. It was located just to the left of the door shown in the upper photo (of the Hendrickson organ.)

See also more of the narrative on the page for the Hendrickson organ.

-- David Engen