With a few hundred of his countrymen in tow, 38-year-old Swedish preacher
Erik Jansson arrived here on the Illinois prairie in late 1846, determined to
establish a community of men, women and children who would work and worship
together in the interest of peace, harmony and the common good.
Bible-thumping Jansson had tangled with Lutheran Church officials over his
religious beliefs more than once; when a series of book burnings brought
things to a head, he hightailed it to Norway, then sailed to America,
persuading many of the rich farmers from Sweden’s Halsingland province to
follow him, first to New York, then to this fertile land 165 miles southwest
of Chicago.
“Janssonists” pooled their money and in quick succession bought 60 acres of
land for $250, a 56-acre improved farm for $1,100, 428 acres of government
land at $1.25 per acre, cash on the barrelhead (in some cases gold dust), and
established Bishop Hill, named for their leader’s birthplace, Biskops Kulla.
It was a self-sufficient colony where the men grew corn, broom corn, wheat,
flax, vegetables and fodder for livestock; women operated pile drivers, made
bricks for the permanent buildings, milked the cows, loomed fabric and crafted
brooms for the marketplace. Laid out in a stately grid pattern, streets were
trimmed with sidewalks of wood or brick and handsome Greek Revival-style
structures.
The village soon boasted 14 carpenters, six smiths, a half-dozen
shoemakers, four wheelwrights, three tailors, a miller, harness maker,
carriage builder and goldsmith, all of whom supplied the colony with goods and
sold sought-after linen, brooms, carriages and spoons to outsiders.
Defections occurred early and often among immigrants who now prized
individual freedom over group effort, but tenacious settlers plodded onward to
develop the first large Swedish settlement in mid-America.
Then, in an ages-old scenario, Preacher Jansson was murdered in the Henry
County Courthouse in May 1850 by a dissident seeking his wife’s release from
the commune. Management passed to a board of trustees, and wrangling and
charges of financial mismanagement soon surfaced. Fifteen years after its
founding, the commune was kaput; acres of farmland that had been acquired were
divided among members, many of whom drifted to other places, and the
impressive red brick buildings fell into disrepair.
In 1946, Colony Church and the two-acre village park became the property of
the State of Illinois.
A century after the commune failed, preservationists learned a historic
village bakery and brewery had been torn down to make way for a bigger
baseball diamond. In the interest of salvaging the remains of this landmark
ethnic community, they founded the Bishop Hill Heritage Association.
The Steeple Building was the first to be restored; within two years it
housed a museum and gift shop featuring local handicrafts and Swedish imports,
a forecast of commerce to come.
Illinois bought the once-busy Bjorklund Hotel in 1968, and 20 years later
opened the Bishop Hill Museum, where tourists begin their back-in-time journey
via artifacts, the fascinating folk art of Olof Krans and a video.
Through the combined efforts of the Heritage Association, the Old Settlers’
Association, the Arts Council, the Village Board, the State of Illinois and
private citizens, 13 of the original buildings have been renovated, among them
the carriage factory and the smithy.
Identified by the Department of the Interior as a place of national
significance, the site was named a National Historic Landmark in April 1970.
Although today’s population is a sparse 138, some 100,000 visitors arrive
each year to glimpse patterns of the past, lunch on tasty Swedish-American
food, stroll the antique sidewalks, shop to their hearts’ content and marvel
at the fortitude of the Midwest’s early Swedish immigrants.
Numerous special events planned for 2000 include a Quilt Show, May 19-21;
an Antique Show, July 9; Sommarmarknad (crafts market), Aug. 12-13;
Jordbruksdagarna (agriculture days), Sept. 23-24; Julmarknad (Christmas
market), Nov. 24-26 and Dec. 2-3; and Lucia Nights, Dec. 8-9.
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Bishop Hill State Historic Site is open daily (except major holidays) 9
a.m. to 5 p.m., March 1 through Oct. 31, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 1 through
Feb. 29. All shops are open April through December,while some are open
year-round; call for hours and dates. Admission: Donations accepted.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Miles from downtown Chicago: 165.
Address: Bishop Hill State Historic Site, PO Box 104, Bishop Hill, IL 61419.
Phone: 309-927- 3345.
