Take a break from your day, whether at home or work, to be immersed in a Scandinavian cultural experience. Each field trip experience is 45 minutes long and presented over Zoom. $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers, registration is required.
Located in Bishop Hill Illinois, the Bishop Hill Heritage Association will be presenting a live tour of some of the Bishop Hill Colony Buildings that it owns and manages. In this tour, viewers will see the exhibits and collections stored in the 1854 Steeple Building Museum. In addition, guests will be able to view the interior and the exterior of the 1863 Colony Store, the 1851 Carpenter Building, and the 1857 Blacksmith Shop.
The Bishop Hill Heritage Association (BHHA) preserves the rich history of the Bishop Hill Colonists and the town they built. The Bishop Hill Colony began in Sweden when a group of religious dissenters dreamed of creating a utopia-a place where they could live in harmony with their beliefs, free from the dogma of the established church. In 1846, Erik Janson and his followers sailed from Sweden to New York, made their way to Chicago, and walked the last 160 miles to Bishop Hill. They established a communal Colony on the prairie that grew in numbers and prospered. In the 15 year history of this religious collective, over a thousand immigrants journeyed from Sweden to join the Colony. The Bishop Hill Colony was one of the most significant forces in the later immigration of millions of Swedes. The Colony is still evident today in the form of historic buildings and artifacts as well as in its 130 residents, many of whom are descendants of the original settlers.