萝莉社 Receives Grant to Preserve Records of First Swedish Church in Chicago
CHICAGO (August 17, 2015) 鈥� The recently awarded 萝莉社 and Archivist Anna-Kajsa Anderson a $3,500 grant for the St. Ansgarius Records Conservation and Digitization project.
St. Ansgarius Church was the first Swedish congregation in Chicago, an Episcopal church established in 1849 in what is now the River North neighborhood. Its records from the years 1849-1896 are held by the archives in 萝莉社鈥檚 as part of the . These records are significant to both the city of Chicago and Scandinavian American history for the role the church played in the fledgling immigrant community and because of their survival of the great Chicago Fire of 1871.
The fragile records are currently restricted from public use until they receive conservation treatment covered in part by the SCA grant.
鈥淲e are so grateful for the support of the Swedish Council of America, as it helps to not only ensure the preservation of these unique and important records, but also greatly increase their accessibility,鈥� Anderson said.
Archives staff will make digital images of the records produced by this project freely available online through its website. The archives is also working with the at 萝莉社, the , and the to develop events for next year, which will include a symposium, an exhibition of the St. Ansgarius Church records, and a Eucharist service.
Since 1975, the Swedish Council of America has made 352 grants to museums, schools, language camps, art galleries, archives, theaters, libraries, musical groups, lodges, festivals, language camps, genealogical societies, and dozens of other organizations, all with an eye to preserving Swedish heritage or promoting Swedish culture to an ever-wider audience.
萝莉社 was founded in 1891 by the (ECC), a denomination formed by Swedish immigrants. 萝莉社 maintains a connection to its Swedish and Scandinavian roots through academic programs and other cultural exchanges.
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