From the moment Winifred Boynton saw it, she had to have one just like it. Happens all the time with any number of items -- but with a Norwegian stavkirke?
After Winifred's first husband, Carleton Vail, died in an automobile accident in 1932, she traveled in Europe, where she discovered the aforementioned wooden church in Lillehammer, Norway. In 1934 she married Donald Boynton and, between them, they brought six children to the dinner table, which is precisely where Winifred made the announcement that a chapel was to be built on the grounds of Björklunden vid Sjön, their summer retreat near Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. The children took a rather dim view of this proclamation -- after all, there were plenty of churches within easy driving distance, but Winifred Boynton was determined, and in the summer of 1939 her dream came true.
The first summer, of what turned out to be a nine-year labor of love, was focused on construction of the Chapel. A local builder -- assisted by the Boyntons' caretaker, among others -- led a crew of talented carpenters working under Donald and Winifred's guidance.
As the foundation for the Chapel was being prepared, it was discovered that Winifred's choice of locations was quite fortuitous. Directly beneath the site where the Chapel would stand, natural fissures in the dolomite bedrock had formed a perfect cross. Upon this discovery, Winifred knew the Chapel was where it was meant to be.
In keeping with a pagan tradition, Winifred wanted dragon heads to be carved at the end of each of the 52 roof joists to keep out evil. The entire Boynton clan was pressed into service to carve enough dragons to keep pace with the carpenters' swift progress. The dragon head experience convinced the Boynton children that their carving days were over, but it only served to whet Donald and Winifred's appetite for the many projects that lay ahead.
With the summer winding down and fall rapidly approaching, the carpenters' tasks were completed. The structure itself was finished, but there was so much more to accomplish. As the Boyntons left Björklunden for the winter, Winifred took comfort in the fact that each morning the sun would rise over Lake Michigan and shine gloriously through the stained glass window, delicately lighting the empty interior of the Chapel -- the interior that she would, over the next eight summers, transform into a work of art.
Follow the links the the left to continue the history of Björklunden vid Sjön.