Highland Prairie Church

A closer look: Highland Prairie Church

<< | Paintings | >>

Highland Prairie Church was the subject of numerous of Margit’s early paintings. The church and its grounds held special significance to her.

Click to expand
  • “Highland Prairie Church”
  • Media: Watercolor on paper
  • Dim: 10″ x 12″ (slightly irregular as it was likely cut from a tablet)
  • Alt text: A spring scene (lilacs are in bloom) of a brick church with steeple viewed as if from a park or front yard (with Adirondack-style chairs in the foreground) across a small road.

Below left: A photograph (seemingly colorized) that likely served as Margit’s model. Below center: A watercolor Margit did in 1951 or 1952. (She recorded it as “X-52”, but the back of the painting has “1951” written in pencil.)

photograph
1952
1959

The congregation is one of the oldest in Minnesota. Home to Margit’s family since they arrived in the area.

This church building pictured in Margit’s paintings burned down on Easter Sunday in 1973. <LINK>

Churches were a favorite topic for Margit. This church south of Rushford MN was one she knew well. It was Margit’s home church during childhood, with her parents and many other relatives buried in the churchyard.

The first year of her marriage to Palmer the newlyweds lived in a one-room cabin that was later moved to the church grounds and serves as a small museum.

Testing the map…