The Swedish settlements on the Delaware by Amandus Johnson

'Amandus Johnson (1877-1974) was a prominent figure in the Swedish American community for many decades. įrom the guide to the American Swedish Historical Museum genealogy collection, 1880-1992, (American Swedish Historical Museum) 'A Brief History of New Sweden in America.' Accessed March 15, 2012. 'History of the Museum.' Accessed March 15, 2012. Construction was delayed due to the Great Depression, but the museum was dedicated during the tercentenary celebration of the New Sweden colony in 1938 (which was marked by another visit from the Swedish royal family).Īmerican Swedish Historical Museum. In 1926, Sweden's Crown Prince (Later King Gustav VI Adolf) placed a cornerstone for the American Swedish Historical Museum in southern Philadelphia. Nonetheless, the Philadelphia area remains a locus for Swedish-American culture because it was the site of the first Swedish settlement in the United States. Most immigrants chose not to settle in the Philadelphia area, and instead moved farther west to Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, California and Washington-the states which still have the highest numbers of Swedish-American today.

Swedish immigration to the United States rose sharply for the period from 18, when difficult economic conditions in Sweden and cheap land in the United States encouraged many to make the journey. Swedish sovereignty over the colony lasted less than 20 years, although Swedes continued to settle in the area and exerted an influence over its cultural development. The first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley was New Sweden, a colony founded by Swedish emigrants in 1638.

The Swedish settlements on the Delaware by Amandus Johnson