April 30 event at St. James Cathedral celebrates Scandinavian life in early Chicago

A digitized document from St. Ansgarius Episcopal Church.
Courtesy North Park University.

CARA member and North Park University Director of Archives Anna-Kajsa Anderson shares with us the following news:

Artifacts and records from Chicago’s first Swedish congregation, St. Ansgarius Episcopal Church, are now freely available online. The church, established in 1849 in what is now the River North neighborhood, is significant to both the city of Chicago and Scandinavian American history for the role it played in the fledgling immigrant community.

Thanks to grants from the Swedish Council of America and the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the paper conservation company Graphic Conservation spent several months conserving and digitizing fragile records from the years 1849–1896, which are held by the archives in North Park University’s Brandel Library as part of the Swedish-American Archives of Greater Chicago.

In celebration, the F. M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections, Center for Scandinavian Studies, Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and Swedish-American Historical Society are cosponsoring the exhibit St. Ansgarius Artifacts: Under One Roof Again. The gallery features remaining artifacts from the early years of St. Ansgarius, now cared for by several different organizations around the city. It can be viewed free of charge through April 30 in Kyle's Place Gallery at St. James Commons, 65 E. Huron St., Chicago, Ill. 60611.

The gallery will culminate in the event A Celebration of Scandinavian Episcopal Life in Early Chicago, Saturday, April 30, at St. James Cathedral. The day will include an opportunity to peruse the exhibit, worship in a choral Eucharist, and attend a symposium (including a presentation by Anna-Kajsa Anderson) on the St. Ansgarius Episcopal Church. Register online for the lunch and afternoon symposium. There is no charge to view the exhibit or worship at the Eucharist.