Washington Island Stavkirke (Stave Church)

Modeled on the Borgund Stave Church in Norway — built in 1150 — the Washington Island Stavkirke was proposed by James Reiff, acting pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, and exists to reflect the Scandinavian heritage of the island. Volunteer-led construction began in 1983; the church was completed and dedicated in the summer of 1995. Its six-tiered roof is made up of 9,600 four-inch shingles, and its twelve 18-foot masts were harvested locally — eleven pine, one white fir. Between 8,000 and 10,000 people visit each year. A weekly Wednesday service runs through the summer.