PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2023

H O M E T O W N

DIRECT DESCENDANTS Founded as a refuge of religious freedom, Bishop Hill marches forward on its Swedish heritage and modern hospitality

BY SCOTT FISHEL PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

R eligious freedom is fundamental to the American experience. From the beginning, immi grants came to the nation’s shores to escape persecution for their beliefs. They still do today. A group of Swedish believers became a part of that great American narrative when they followed a charismatic young leader across the Atlantic to Henry County, Illinois, in the mid-1800s. There they founded a community that still inspires and sustains residents gen erations later. Welcome to Bishop Hill, population 125. EVOLVING, AND NOT Founded as a religious commune in 1846, Bishop Hill has gone through many phases. In some ways it is a typical rural Illinois village. But in many other ways that matter — a sense of community, history, shared heritage and thriving business — it is anything but ordinary. For decades it has attracted tourists, genealogists and people of Swedish extraction from around the world. In 1984, Bishop Hill was declared a National Historic Landmark, with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustav joined in the village’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1996. Many historians say Bishop Hill opened the door to later Swedish mi grations, with millions ending up in the

COMING TO AMERICA This pioneer story begins with Eric Janson, a lay minister who defied Swe den’s state-sponsored Lutheran Church by, among other things, holding prayer meetings and reading the Bible at home without a priest present. After pro voking the authorities and landing in prison, Janson concluded that the only way he and his followers could worship as they wanted was to leave Sweden. “Janson painted himself a prophet who believed the state church was more concerned with making money than taking care of their flock,” said Bryan Englebrecht, assistant site manager for the Bishop Hill State Historic Site. Janson and many followers fled to America in 1846. Poor living conditions, lack of food and disease claimed many lives. But the survivors broke the prairie, built dormitories for communal housing and established a church. They named the settlement after Janson’s Swedish birthplace: Biskopskulla. More followed, with Bishop Hill’s population swelling to a mid-19th century peak of 1,400. The colonists developed industries around making brooms, buggies and wagons, furni ture and textiles that brought reve nue and attention from the outside world. Eventually, there was a hospital, a school, a hotel, blacksmith shop, mill and other commercial enterprises. The Big Brick, a dormitory that contained 96 apartments, once stood on ground

likes of Galesburg, Chicago, Minnesota and elsewhere across the Midwest. It represents an enduring commitment to historic preservation unmatched by cities many times its size. It is estimated that up to 20% of cur rent residents are direct descendants of the original colonists. In the gift shops and restaurants, art studios and pio neer life demonstrations, there is an authentic desire to educate, protect and preserve the town’s rich heritage, not just in a museum — though there are several historical collections — but as a living place with a proud past and promising future. “It’s just a really nice community,” said Mike Funke, the village president, though everyone calls him mayor. “It’s the kind of place where you don’t have to worry if you turn around and aren’t watching your kids for a minute. You know your neighbor will be looking out for them.” Funke has spent all of his 43 years in Bishop Hill. During his tenure atop village government, he has prioritized upgrades to an aging water system, street maintenance, and new street lighting — some of the same issues faced by any 177-year-old town. “I’m a firm believer in new ideas and change,” he said. “Things can’t stay the same forever.” Yet, many aspects of life in Bishop Hill are the same as they’ve always been, at least on the surface.

32 OCTOBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE