Bishop Hill, Illinois, Utopia on the Prairie. The Eric [Erik] Jansson Story.

Like the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock and the Quakers who followed William Penn to Pennsylvania, the Jansonists were a group of Protestants who fled oppression seeking religious freedom on the shores of America. Eric [Erik] Jannson (1780-1860) was known as the Wheat Flour Messiah. He had a debilitating illness cured by a miracle that reshaped the rest of his life. He began preaching about our relationship with the Lord, not filtered by the state religion. 

Erik Jansson. Photograph the late 1850s.

Erik Jansson married Anna Larsson on October 29, 1815. Their seven children; Erik (1818-Deceased), Anders (1821-1822), Johanna (1822-1894), Peter (1824-1824), Gustaf (1828-Deceased), Jonas (1831-Deceased), and Christina (1835-1836).

Jansson preached to his followers in Sweden about what he considered to be the abominations of the Lutheran Church and emphasized the doctrine that the faithful were without sin. As Jansson's ideas became more radical, he began to lose support from many of his sympathizers and was forced to leave Sweden amid growing persecution. Jansson had previously sent Olof Olsson, a trusted follower, as an emissary to the United States to find a suitable location where the Janssonists could set up a utopian community centered on their religious beliefs. According to Jansson, this community would become the "New Jerusalem," and their beliefs would soon spread worldwide. They sent a scout ahead to purchase property in the western wilderness of Illinois.

The Colony Church was built in 1848. The sanctuary is on the second floor. Designed to reflect the doctrinal ideas of Erik Jansson.

Janssonist Criticisms of the Lutheran Church

Jansson believed the mainstream Lutheran Church had become too comfortable with the world, losing its spiritual fervor and focus on personal salvation. He saw the clergy as more concerned with status and material wealth than true spiritual guidance. Jansson condemned what he felt was excessive emphasis on rituals and sacraments within Lutheranism. Jansson argued these practices did not guarantee salvation and could lead to a false sense of security, detracting from a personal relationship with God. Jansson strongly opposed the Swedish Lutheran Church's close connection to the state. He believed this compromised its spiritual integrity and led to a dilution of true Christian doctrine. Jansson and his followers held a strict literal interpretation of the Bible. They rejected what they saw as attempts by the established church to explain away or reinterpret certain passages to align with societal changes. Janssonists practiced a form of religious communalism, where property and resources were shared. This contrasted with the more traditional Lutheran emphasis on individual faith and family structures.

After being jailed for his beliefs, he fled Sweden with more than 1400 followers to their new home in western Illinois. These people sold everything they owned, some families were divided, and they took the arduous journey across the North Atlantic to America in 1846.

The Bishop Hill Colony (20 miles east of Galesburg) was founded in 1846 by Erik Jansson. Population: 108 (2022)

The Colony struggled early on after its founding. Many of the first 1400 colonists died from diseases on the way to Bishop Hill (named for Erik Jansson's birthplace, Biskopskulla), while others became disillusioned and stayed in New York. The quarters in Bishop Hill were cold and crowded, and food was scarce. After the first winter, life at the Colony began to improve.

What happened to Janssonists who stayed in New York?

It's likely that many Janssonists who stayed in New York gradually assimilated into the larger American society. They may have joined other Lutheran congregations or adopted different religious affiliations altogether. There's a possibility that some tried to maintain smaller, independent Janssonist communities in New York or its surrounding areas. However, without Jansson's leadership, these would likely have been less organized and more short-lived. A few may have even become disenchanted with America altogether and chose to return to Sweden.

In the next few years, housing was upgraded from dugouts to brick living areas, and crops were planted on 700 acres. By 1849, Bishop Hill had constructed a flour mill, two sawmills, a three-story frame church, and various other buildings. The Bishop Hill Colony was communistic in nature, as dictated by Jansson. Thus, everyone owned everything, and no one had more possessions than another. Work in the Colony was highly rigorous and regimented. It wasn't uncommon to see hundreds of people working together in the fields or large groups of laborers engaged in other tasks.

The Colony Hotel was initially built in 1852 as a dwelling for Colonists.

Letters sent back home from Janssonists to their friends and family, telling of the fertile agricultural land in the interior of North America, stimulated substantial migration for several decades and contributed to the formation of the Swedish-American ethnic community of the American Midwest.

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Both "Eric  Janson" and "Erik Jansson" (son of Jan) are considered correct spellings of the Swedish religious leader's name. When his story and movement spread internationally, the spelling of his last name was usually Anglicized to "Janson."

The preaching and philosophy of Erik Jansson are too complex for these few paragraphs, except to say that his convictions inspired many and caused consternation among more than a few. Bishop Hill became a hub for thousands of Swedish immigrants who eventually settled much of the Midwest, from Galva to Galesburg, Minnesota, to North Dakota.

Bishop Hill underwent a major upheaval in 1850 after the murder of Erik Jansson. Jansson was assassinated by a former colony member, John Root, who was upset with Jansson for interfering with his marriage to one of Jansson's cousins. After their leader's death, the people of Bishop Hill appointed a group of seven trustees to run the affairs of the Colony. Among the trustees were Jonas Olsson and Olof Johnson, who would become the primary leaders of the Colony as they had been two of Jansson's closest aides. The Colony flourished under these two men and the rest of the trustees. The workforce was reorganized to become more efficient, and more buildings were erected. However, despite Bishop Hill's success, financial problems arose amid accusations of mismanagement against Olof Johnson in 1857. Without colony approval, Johnson had made several significant investments that had turned out to be disastrous. Colonists voted to end the communal system as Bishop Hill headed for financial ruin. In 1861, the formal dissolution of the Colony was official, and many of its people would soon be forced to move away. 

The community holdings were divided among the members, with women and children also receiving shares of property, which was unusual in the 1860s.

At the turn of the 20th century, many of the Colony buildings were falling into disrepair. The Old Settlers, The Bishop Hill Heritage Association, and the State of Illinois stepped up to save the existing buildings. Throughout the 1970s, restoration and preservation became the call to arms. With help from the Swedish Royal family, descendants of the hardy pioneers, and thousands of hours of volunteer labor, Bishop Hill became a thriving community once more. 

Descendants of Erik Jansson still lived in the Colony until December 20, 2004, when Erik's great-great-grandson and Bishop Hill volunteer fireman Theodore Arthur Myhre Sr. died south of the Colony while on a fire service call. Other known descendants remain in Illinois.

Many other 'historic villages' one might visit are actually reproductions. They may have done some archeology, built new, or moved a mish-mash of landmark structures to an artificial commons. But Bishop Hill is the same town you would have seen if you came through in a horse and buggy over 175 years ago. It is a living, fully functional village with a mayor and fire department. The people who live here still farm the surrounding countryside, cut firewood for the winter, plant broom corn in the spring, and celebrate the changing of the seasons, just as their Swedish ancestors did. Yes, it's done for the folks who come to participate, but more importantly, it's because it is their way of living authentically. The crafts and trades that supported our forefathers and mothers are still a source of livelihood today. The pottery and brooms you buy are the same ones they use in their kitchens.

The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1984. Bishop Hill is interpreted as a living community of Swedish-American heritage. Due to state budget cuts, the Bishop Hill State Historic Site was closed for nearly 5 months from December 1, 2008, to April 23, 2009. Today, the site is open Wednesday through Friday during regular business hours.

With tens of thousands of visitors yearly from all 50 states, Sweden, and other Scandinavian countries, Bishop Hill has a well-earned reputation as a place to step out of the hustle and bustle and back to a simpler time. 

The Steeple Building.

Several historically significant buildings have survived and are scattered throughout the village, four of which are owned by the state of Illinois and managed as part of the Bishop Hill State Historic Site. In addition to the historic structures, the state owns the village park with a gazebo and memorials to the town's early settlers and Civil War soldiers. A brick museum building houses a valuable collection of folk art paintings by colonist Olof Krans.

Bishop Hill, Illinois, is genuinely Utopia on the Prairie.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.