New Sweden: the US's long-lost 'secret' colony
A little-known Swedish colony called New Sweden existed in the 17th century along the Delaware River, in what is now the US. Established in 1638, the settlement included parts of present-day Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania before being taken over by the Dutch in 1655. The colony's legacy remains visible in local place names, log cabin architecture, and cultural influences.
Background
- In the 1630s, Sweden established a small colony called "New Sweden" along the Delaware River, in what is now the US states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey — roughly a century before the American Revolution.
- The colony was short-lived (1638–1655), eventually conquered by the Dutch, and then absorbed by the English. It remains little-known compared to other European colonial settlements in North America.
- This article explores the history and modern traces of New Sweden, including surviving log cabins (a building technique the Swedish settlers introduced), place names, and cultural heritage sites that still exist in the region today.
- The "secret" in the title refers to how obscure this chapter of American colonial history is, not to any actual conspiracy — most Americans have never heard of New Sweden, despite its lasting but subtle imprint on local architecture and culture.