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: Wicks, Opus 5508, 1975
Manuals: 2
Ranks: 5
Action: Wicks Direct Electric®

Notes: Wicks installed a charming 5 rank organ on the left side of the country church. It had an exposed 4' Principal and 16'/8' Holzgedeckt basses. The remaining three ranks were in a swell box.

Some of my Gustavus students and I went there for the annual July 4th ice cream social and fireworks, possibly in 1976 or 1977. After the social and while awaiting darkness, the students and I played patriotic songs on the organ, and many people gathered outside the open windows to listen.

At about 3 a.m in St. Peter I heard fire sirens and didn't think anything of it at the time. Later in the morning I learned that the Scandian Grove church had exploded during the night, most likely from a gas leak following the fireworks. I drove out to see the smoking remains. The walls of the church had fallen out, away from the building, indicating an explosion from within. Scandian Grove thus followed its sister congregation in St. Peter by destruction. First Lutheran had burned from a lightning strike.

The new pastor, who had not yet been installed, witnessed his church burn from the parsonage. His installation was later held at First Lutheran in nearby St. Peter. The organ of course was lost.

-- David Engen

GREAT
8' Holzgedeckt 56
8' Gemshorn (Sw)
4' Octave 56
4' Gemshorn 12
2' Super Octave 12
8' Trumpet (Sw)

SWELL
8' Gemshorn 56
4' Nachthorn 56
2.2/3' Nazat
2' Flute 12
8' Trumpet 56
    Tremolo

PEDAL
16' Bourdon 12
8' Gemshorn (Sw)
4' Octave (Gt)
4' Trumpet (Sw)