One museum honors those who came to America looking for a better life.

Gammelgården Museum of Scandia honors Swedish immigrants who founded the community.

“That immigrant story is the same,” Tiffaney Clark with the museum said. “People are coming for some new opportunity, maybe escaping war or famine.”

The museum dates back to Annie Johnson, who lived on the land for decades. Johnson sold 11 acres to Elim Lutheran Church. More than 40 years ago several members of the church came together and opened Gammelgården.

“The church we have on property is the original Elim Lutheran Church,” Clark said. “It’s the longest-running Lutheran church. It has services every Sunday from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.”

People visit the museum from around the world.

“We usually get about 5,000 visitors a year,” Clark said. “They come mostly from here in the Twin Cities but I met people from New York, Pennsylvania, California. We get about 1,500 visitors from Sweden each year.”