Other Settlements and Cities

Other Settlements and Cities

     For those who wish to travel to former Swedish pioneer enclaves in America to explore, the following stand out as special places and spaces.
    Already highlighted throughout SwedishAmericana are Kansas' Lindsborg referred to as "Little Sweden, USA;" Pennsylvania's Philadelphia's "American Swedish Historical Museum" and the "New Sweden" region of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey; Illinois' Chicago's Andersonville's "Swedish American Museum;" and California's San Francisco's Bay Area Swedish American entities including the Patriotic League's annual Morgan Hill "Sveadal Midsummer" festival.
    Some others highlighted here are Iowa's Swedesburg's "Swedish Heritage Museum" and Stanton's "Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center;" Minnesota's Minneapolis' "American Swedish Institute, Scandia's Gammelgarden Museum, Shafer's Swedish Circle Tours, Waconia's Swedish Andrew Peterson Farmstead;" Washington's Seattle's "Nordic Museum;"  Illinois' Rock Island's Augustana College's "Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center" and Andover's "Jenny Lind Chapel" and Museum.
    For those who wish to view some of the American Swedish-language newspapers which began to be published in 1850 for these Swedish American settlements and cities and others, go to the Minnesota Historical Society's great online collection.

- Swedesburg, Iowa -
(Census 2000: 86)
home of the
Swedish Heritage Museum
aka
Swedish American Museum

Founded by the Swedish Heritage Society which was established in 1986, the Museum is dedicated to preserving the history and traditions of this Swedish American community. For their 2012 Swedish pioneer story of settling Swedesburg, go HERE.

Courtesy of the Swedish Cultural Museum aka Swedish American Museum of Swedesburg, Iowa

Stanton, Iowa
(Census 2016: 637)
home of the
Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center

The Stanton Historical Society was established in 1970 and is committed to the preservation of Swedish heritage and history. The Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center that it created was officially opened in 1995. It is home for a wide variety of historical and cultural items; and it annually sponsors a week-long summer Swedish School for children.

Courtesy of the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center of Stanton, Iowa

Scandia, Minnesota
(Census 2016: Est. 4.086)
home of the
Swedish Gammelgården Immigrant Heritage Museum

It is the only open air museum in the United States committed to preserving, presenting, and promoting Swedish immigrant heritage.

Courtesy of the Gammelgården Immigrant Heritage Museum

To learn more, go HERE.

Waconia, Minnesota
(Census 2016: Est 11,964)
home of the
Swedish
Andrew Peterson Farmstead
a treasured preservation project of the
Carver County Historical Society

"The mission and vision of the CCHS regarding the Andrew Peterson Farm is to preserve and interpret the Andrew Peterson Farm through the lens of Minnesota’s rich immigrant and agricultural history. The farm and historically significant diaries of Andrew Peterson will be used to encourage visitors of all ages to discover our diverse heritage and to understand how the past shapes the present -- and the future."

To learn more, go HERE.

Courtesy of the Carver County Historical Society

For the immigration story of Andrew and Elsa Peterson, go HERE. For a fascinating read connecting Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg of the two Emigrant novels to Andrew Peterson, go HERE.

Peterson received a lifetime achievement award from the University of Minnesota Horticulture Department for his work with apple trees in 1885. To document this great accomplishment, a photographer was sent out to take photographs, some of which appear above.

Minneapolis, Minnesota
(Census 2017: 422,000)
home of the
American Swedish Institute

It was founded in 1929 when Swan and Christina Turnblad (Swedish immigrants) donated their palatial and castle-like home and their newspaper, Svenska amerikanska posten, to fulfill Swan's dream, for his home to become a Swedish American institute. At that time, the Institute was named "American Institute for Swedish Art, Literature and Science" which was later renamed as today's American Swedish Institute. The Institute is a museum and cultural center where visitors gather together to share and experience Swedishness in various forms which are linked and supported by ongoing strong relationships with Sweden.

Pictured here is the historic Turnblad Mansion and adjoining it beautifully is the Nelson Cultural Center which opened on June 30, 2012.

Go HERE for a glimpse of the opening day!

Courtesy of the American Swedish Institute

Seattle, Washington
(Census 2016: 736,000)
home of the
Nordic Museum

The Museum is dedicated to the heritage of Seattle's Nordic immigrants: Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish Americans. It is the largest museum of its kind in the United States and the world to honor these five Nordic countries. Since its founding in 1980 in a leased school building and named, at that time, the "Nordic Heritage Museum," the institution has been committed to collecting and preserving the past of these Nordic peoples and is devoted to educating the world on its research and findings. The grand opening for its new building and new name, Nordic Museum, was May 5, 2018. Go HERE for "Nordic Museum Grand Opening, Seattle" and HERE. Go HERE to see artifacts from Stockholm's Historiska Museet and Nordiska Museet, and to Museum staff discussing exhibitions two days before the opening.

Courtesy of the Nordic Museum

Go HERE for the Nordic Heritage Museum building's last tour: "The Dream of America" on November 9, 2017.

Courtesy of the Nordic Museum

Rock Island, Illinois
(Census 2010: 39,000)
home of
Augustana College's
Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center

Established in 1981, it is a national library and archives providing resources for the study of Swedish immigration to North America. To learn more, go HERE.

Courtesy of Augustana College

Andover, Illinois
(Census 2016: 573)
home of
The Jenny Lind Chapel

The Mother Church of the Augustana Lutheran Synod aka Augustana Lutheran Church in America from 1860 - 1962. Its congregations numbered 1,269 and membership numbered 629,547 when it merged with the Lutheran Church in America in 1962.*

Source: en.wikipedia.org

*Augustana Heritage Association website
Most sources for text is from each entity's website.

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Since 2015
~ restoring, preserving and promoting Swedish American histories & cultures ~
~ sharing the Swedish American tapestry with all ~

All color photography throughout SwedishAmericana is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
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