West Paint Creek Synod Cemetery Association

The following site is located on private property. Please respect their privacy & obtain permission from owners before going on their property.

1351 Elon Drive, Waterville, IA, United States


  • Greg Gilberton or Bryan Willger
  • 3193503764
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Norwegian immigrants came to Allamakee County starting in the 1850s. West Paint Creek Church, was organized in 1857 because parishioners found it difficult to navigate the roads in the area. In 1880 a controversy over predestination erupted among Norwegian Lutherans and affected the congregations in the Paint Creek area.

A small group broke away from the original churches in 1887 and formed West Paint Creek Synod Church. They built this frame Carpenter Gothic church building, completed in 1892. It features three lancet windows on the side elevations, a gable-front roof, and a central bell tower capped with a spire.

It exhibits Norwegian immigrant carpentry skills found in the Dutch lap siding, frame construction, paneled doors, pews, and flooring. The interior includes a wood-carved altar, altar rail, and pulpit in the chancel. Native pine pews have an ornate cross carved on each side. The altar’s reredos features a painting by itinerant Norwegian immigrant artist Herbjorn Gausta called Resurrection. Gausta painted both the East and West Paint Creek Synod Church Altars in the 1890’s.

The cemetery is located on the west side of the church, it is open to serve original members, former members, or other folks seeking a final resting place. There also is a shed on the property that was built in 1938.

The church building was the site of the local community’s religious and social life. Its significance is found in its association with Norwegian and Norwegian-American architecture and social history.