Our Mission

The Swedish–American Historical Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1948, with the mission of recording and interpreting the Swedish presence in America. The society is devoted to the mission of studying the Swedish emigration, its history and culture of the Swedes in North America through research, publications, programs and archives.

In 1983, the Board of Directors approved a change in the organization's name to the Swedish–American Historical Society. By then it had moved well beyond a focus on just the "pioneer" period and serves to promote interest in the entire Swedish presence in America, from the first settlers on the Delaware in 1638 to the present day.

Our History

The Swedish–American Historical Society grew out of the national 1948 Swedish Pioneer Centennial celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Swedish immigrants in the Midwest. In Chicago, 18,000 people filled the stadium on June 4th to hear President Truman, Prince Bertil of Sweden, Carl Sandburg, and representatives from many Swedish–American organizations. Four months later, on October 15, 1948, the leaders of the centennial celebration met in Chicago and formed the Society, originally called the Swedish Pioneer Historical Society.

Learn more about us.

On October 5th, the SAHS partnered with the Swedish American Museum in Andersonville, Chicago for a dinner and lecture by noted urban planner and historian, Julia Bachrach. Guests enjoyed a social hour and dinner from Tre Kronor Restaurant, Chicago's Nordic Bistro before Bachrach took the microphone to share more about Jens Jensen, a noted Danish-American landscape architect.

Between the Swedish American Museum's exhibition on Marimekko, a Finnish brand which surrounded guests in the Museum's main hall and Bachrach's lecture on a Danish-American, the evening was a Scandinavian celebration to remember.

Jensen not only shaped many of Chicago’s city and regional public parks and forest preserves, but also played a part in preserving the Indiana Dunes sand dune ecosystem. In private practice, he shaped the gardens of large estates throughout the Midwest and as far east as Maine before retiring to establish the Clearing Folk School in Wisconsin where he trained future landscape architects.

About the Speaker:

Julia Bachrach is a historian who previously served as the Chicago Park District’s preservationist planning supervisor for over 25 years. She is the author of several books including The City in a Garden: A History of Chicago’s Parks and Inspired by Nature: The Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago’s West Side. Her frequent appearances on television and radio include The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago, 10 Parks That Changed America produced by WTTW and Curious City on WBEZ. Bachrach holds a Master’s Degree in Cultural Resource Preservation from the Landscape Architecture Department of the University of Wisconsin.