Swedes Of Greater Worcester

Industrial expansion in New England gave impetus to large-scale Swedish immigration by the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Swedish American communities were established in many areas, including Worcester County in Massachusetts and adjacent northern Windham County in Connecticut. Swedes of Greater Worcester Revisited, a companion to Swedes of Greater Worcester (2002), expands upon the story of the region's Swedish American population. Vintage images capture the immigration experience, family and organizational life, and religious aspects of the community.

By the late nineteenth century, Swedish immigrants began arriving by the thousands in New England, attracted by the area's heavy industry. In particular, the steel and ceramic shops of Worcester provided a livelihood for many of them. As a result, new areas of Swedish settlements developed throughout the surrounding towns. Swedes of Greater Worcester captures the area's Swedish heritage through a collection of images that displays everything from vintage weddings to ski-jumping events and stories known only by the families of the Swedes who first traveled to Worcester. These images represent a time when the Swedish element was a vital and vibrant part of the identity of the greater Worcester area.

By 1900, Worcester was home to the largest Swedish population in the eastern United States. These new residents brought an innovative and unique spirit to the community. Industrialist John Jeppson invented an artificial emery stone, and his experiments in the abrasives field became the foundation of the Norton Company. Worcester welcomed Swedish immigrants who preserved traditions through various lodges, church congregations and Swedish-owned businesses like Holstrom's Market, Lundborg's and Crown Bakery. Fairlawn Hospital and the Lutheran Home were other mainstays that marked the Swedes' local presence. Author Eric J. Salomonsson explores how Worcester's Swedish immigrants became Swedish-Americans while making vital and vibrant contributions to their adopted city.

By the late nineteenth century, Swedish immigrants began arriving by the thousands in New England, attracted by the area's heavy industry. In particular, the steel and ceramic shops of Worcester provided a livelihood for many of them. As a result, new areas of Swedish settlements developed throughout the surrounding towns. Swedes of Greater Worcester captures the area's Swedish heritage through a collection of images that displays everything from vintage weddings to ski-jumping events and stories known only by the families of the Swedes who first traveled to Worcester. These images represent a time when the Swedish element was a vital and vibrant part of the identity of the greater Worcester area.

Known as "the golden era," the period from 1880 to 1920 brought unbridled growth, prosperity, and national note to the second largest city in Massachusetts. Worcester's population increased by more than one hundred twenty thousand people in this forty-year period, and the city produced the greatest variety of manufactured goods in the country. Worcester: 1880-1920 captures the expansion of the city through the images that feature a variety of subjects, such as the erection of the three-decker buildings in the early working-class neighborhoods, the construction of the new Union Station, and the vitality of the downtown stores and marketplaces. These photographs, most of which have been taken from glass-plate negatives, chronicle the rapid growth of a diverse economy fueled by an expanding multiethnic community.