Bishop Hill State Historic Site

Bishop Hill State Historic Site preserves part of the former Bishop Hill colony, a utopian religious community founded in 1846 by Swedish pietist Eric Janson in Bishop Hill, Illinois. Within the larger historic district, four surviving colony-era buildings remain: the Colony Church, Colony Hotel, Boys Dormitory, and a colony barn later moved behind the hotel. Built by skilled Swedish carpenters and craftsmen, they reflect the colony’s communal life and architecture. The church now contains a museum on Bishop Hill’s history, and another museum displays primitive paintings by colonist Olof Krans. Recognized on the National Register in 1970 and as a National Historic Landmark in 1984, the site is a prominent remnant of a distinctive Swedish-American communal experiment.

Bishop Hill, Illinois · United States