Western Norway Emigration Center is operated in cooperation with the Museum Centre in Hordaland (
Museumssenteret i Hordaland) which focusing on the preservation of the social and cultural history of the
Hordaland area of
Vestland county.
King Harald and
Queen Sonja have honored the museum with a visit. Western Norway Emigration Center is the site of several activities throughout the year including weddings, meetings, concerts, and festivals. There are guided tours around the center. There is also a library with books about Norwegian emigration to
North America.
Brampton Lutheran Church In 1996,
Brampton Lutheran Church was dismantled and moved from
Brampton Township, Sargent County, North Dakota. The entire
church, with all inventory, was given as a gift to the Western Norwegian Emigration Center. Volunteers, both Norwegian and American, dismantled the church for transport to Sletta, where it was re-assembled. Brampton Lutheran Church was subsequently consecrated by
Ole Hagesæther,
Bishop of the
Diocese of Bjørgvin (1994–2008) and officially reopened as the
Emigrant Church ().
Marboe Township School Dating from 1893, this is a typical one room school from
Sargent County, North Dakota. It was moved to
Forman, North Dakota, near Brampton, in the 1960s where it was used as a museum. In 1997, Sargent County Farm Bureau donated the school to the Western Norwegian Emigration Center. It opened on July 8, 2000.
Dr. J.C. Serkland Medical Office This building was taken from
Rothsay in
Wilkin County, Minnesota. It was the office of
Doctor John Christian Serkland (1872- 1948) during more than 50 years of medical practice. His grandchildren purchased the house and donated it to the Western Norwegian Emigration Center. It was officially opened on July 8, 2000.
Underwood Pioneer House The Underwood Pioneer House was the home of Andreas Seem (1820-1890), an immigrant from
Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. The house was originally built following his arrival during 1869 in
Underwood in
Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Luverne Kiene, the great grandchild of Karen and Andreas Seem, donated the house to the Western Norwegian Emigration Center in 1997. It was officially opened on July 8, 2000.
Brampton School Teacher's Home This was apparently the oldest house in Brampton township. The year of construction is unknown, but the fireplace construction indicates that it is probably as old as the European settling of North Dakota. It housed the principal of the school until the 1930s. Sanford and Genevieve Cooper donated the house to the Western Norway Emigration Center in 1997. The house was officially opened on July 8, 2000.
Elizabeth Township Jail and Town Hall Elizabeth Township Jail and Town Hall were built in the 1880s and incorporated to one building. The jail with two cells was used until slightly after 1900. The Town Council of
Elizabeth, Minnesota, donated the building to the Western Norwegian Emigration Center during the spring 2000. It was officially opened on July 6, 2002. ==Asbjørn Ystebø==