Experience
Salem Landmark Church & Museum
Landmark Church
Visit the historical WELS church in person to experience this preserved treasure.
On Aug. 10, 2013, a Wisconsin State Historical Marker was dedicated at the site of the Landmark Church to recognize the beginnings of the Wisconsin Synod. It was on the grounds of Salem that the original WELS constitution was signed in 1850
The Institute has embarked on a project to complete the restoration of the Landmark Church to its original 1863 interior. Your membership in WELS Historical Institute can help complete this restoration.
An organization known as Friends of the Landmark Church assists the Institute in its work of restoring, preserving, and maintaining Salem Landmark Church. Members also volunteer with events and programming and hold regular meetings throughout the year.
Membership Benefits
Members of WELS Historical Institute receive:
- Two issues of WELS Historical Institute Journal each year
- Two Institute newsletters each year, and
- Voting membership in the Institute
Landmark Museum
The WHI works on the restoration and preservation of Salem Lutheran Landmark Church, constructed in 1863 and located in Milwaukee near the site of our synod’s founding in 1850. The synod museum, on the lower level of the church, houses more than 1,000 artifacts and pictures from our synod’s past.
Hundreds of artifacts related to the history of WELS and of early German immigration to this area have been restored and are now displayed here. The church building is now a museum, open to tours throughout the year. It is also the venue for an annual presentation series coordinated by the Institute.
The church and museum are open for tours, which need to be arranged in advance. For tour information and booking, please schedule using the button on this page.
