Untitled Document

Jordan Murray's Etching of Bishop Hill

When the original tent church burned down, the colonists decided

to build a bigger church anyway. After all, many more immigrants from Sweden were coming to join the colony in Bishop Hill. Room was needed to house the many, school the children , worship, and show some items made in the colony. It was estimated that 1000 worshipers would need pews. The result was a framed building with hand-made bricks for the foundation.

:Years later, after the colony was dissolved, a Swedish-American artist from Galva donated his collection of oil portraits of some of the original colonists to the “Old Settlers Association” . For years, the paintings were on exhibit on the lower floor in the church and in 1988, the State of Illinois built a separate building to house these delicate and historic works. The church was transferred to the State in 1946 by the Old Settlers Association, during an observance ceremony of the colony’s 100 year anniversary

(Note, currently, there are over 90 Olof paintings in the museum plus a large painting that was the opening curtain for a play that was found in Galva. The curtain was repaired and framed as you come in the gallery.) (So far there are about 200 works in existence and this is the only folk art museum dedicated only to one artist in the county.)

When the colony was dissolved around 1861, the colonists had a dilemma. In 1850, the colony lost their leader but there was someone to fill his shoes. Now, the colonists had a hard decision to make; either stay a Jansonite or switch to another denomination.

When Janson first came over and debated over Methodism with the preacher from Victoria, he unknowingly set other philosophies in religion upfor consideration. Many of the colonists liked the philosophy of the Methodists.as it was similar to Janson's teachings. So around the end of the CivilWar, an Episcopal Church was built out by the cemetery. The number of converts were few as compared to the many Jansonites.

Today this little Methodist Episcopal Church in Bishop Hill is still

active unlike the many Jansonites in Bishop Hill, who gradually faded

away.

The Red Oak Restaurant

The Red Oak Restaurant

(specializing in Swedish cuisine- It consists of two buildings, one was a store and another was moved into town)

The Land of the Red Oak, just a few miles west of Bishop Hill, proved to be very valuable to the colonists. It supplied not only shelter and shade but was a source for wood in the colony’s many buildings.

This wood was not the only wood available to the colonists as they also bought or traded for other species as needed.(especially for their furniture making)

Rock Island's connection to Bishop Hill

Until the formal "take over" by the government around 1861, Rock Island was inhabited by a fort, indians, settlers and/or squatters. Abraham Lincoln tried to get squatter’s rights for the settlers but to no avail

Curiously, according to various historic writings, references to a Bishop Hill fishing village using the Mississippi River at Rock Island have been documented. It seems that the Swedish colonists needed to add fish to their diet in America as they had in the old country. They probably harvested fish for sale as they would cut ice in the winter and use the saw dust, from the colony’s wood production, for the ice house and packing.

It is interesting to note that this very island is where Eric Janson took his family after the 1849 cholera outbreak. Ironically, while his Jansonites in Bishop Hill were dying. Janson told them they were sick because they lost faith, he then left for the island. Records indicate Janson buried his wife on the island.

The Bishop Hillians may have witnessed the “Construction of the First Bridge to Cross the Mississippi River”. The title of this etching:

The Story of the Corndoll - A very touching story!

Etchings and stories from Jordan Murray

Illinois Ancestors