Svea Land Colony
The Cure
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Parker's Tonic advertising a cure for consumption in 1884.
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The Second Industrial Revolution, also known as the Technological Revolution, was happening at the time Silverhill was beginning. In the cities polluted air was the result of factories, trains, and coal-burning fireplaces. Crowded living spaces made it easier for diseases to spread. Even though tuberculosis had been around for thousands of years, it was able to spread even faster to a greater number of the population when people were crowded into areas where the industries needed workers.
In 1900, tuberculosis also known as consumption or the white plague, was the most feared disease in the world and one of the leading causes of death in Chicago. Since a medical cure would be decades away, doctors attempted to cure tuberculosis naturally. Treatment would include warmth, rest, and good food. They advised people with the illness, if they could afford it, to move to areas with open space and clean air.
As advertised below, Silverhill was described as a wonderful place to live. Doctors were encouraged to consider Silverhill as an ideal place to build a Sanatorium for their sick and infirm. It attracted many people who were not only interested in buying farmland but also wanted to live in a warm, healthy environment. View the entire advertising booklet here.
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The above page is from an advertising booklet. The translation reads:
The photograph is taken at Carl Vallentine's land, 3 miles from Silverhill.
The land is very inviting. There are no high hills. There are good streams with clear water.
There is no place more qualified to build a Sanatorium than Silverhill.
Doctors, pastors and others that are interested in a sanatorium for the sick and the feeble people, write to
SVEA LAND COLONY,
122 S. Clark Street, Suite 512, .....Chicago, Ill.
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Even though advertised, Silverhill never had a sanatorium built nearby.
Sanatoriums were places that provided treatment for tuberculosis patients. Since they lived in the facility, this took the patients out of their home, which reduced the chance to spread the disease to their families. For a long time, doctors believed tuberculosis was hereditary, but had begun to observe that fresh air and outdoor living could sometimes change the course of the illness.
Not only did the Silverhill promotional campaign claim that the area was ideal to build a treatment place, they insisted that there were no diseases in the settlement, as seen below.
Silverhill promotional pamphlet about 1907 - click to enlarge page.
Go here to see all pages of the pamphlet.
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The cover of this promotional pamphlet reads:
"No fevers, no contagious diseases."
Page one of the pamphlet says, "...an ideal place for those who are troubled with lung diseases, and in many cases an entire cure is effected."
It painted the picture of a place that was free of disease and would have a miraculous effect on a peron's health.
The truth-in-advertising movement had not yet begun in the United States. Sales were the main concern, so any claims made by a sales promotion would be considered true until the customer personally found out otherwise.
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Nearly every person who had moved to Silverhill from Chicago or other large cities, had been exposed to tuberculosis since it was so prevalent in society. Today, we know it is an airborne infectious disease, spread when a person with the disease coughs, speaks, or sings. Even now, with the invention of antibiotics, tuberculosis takes months of treatment to cure.
Pamphlets and brochures asserted the virtues of living in Baldwin County. Advertisers such as the Louisville & Nashville Railroad asked residents for their testimonies. Some were from farmers praising the climate and how they were able to grow a variety of produce. Many included the health qualities of living in Baldwin county. Here are a few:
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"Contagious diseases are not known in Baldwin County. I fully believe that this is the right place for the Northern people who want to secure a home and become independent."
Erick Brown. Silverhill, Ala., May 29, 1907.
"I have resided in Baldwin County about three years and in that time I have improved my health and strength. Always suffered from colds and other illness during the long and weary winters up North, while here we have perpetual summers. Sickness we have very little."
Charles M. Lyrene. Silverhill, Ala., April 14, 1907.
"I came from Chicago six years ago and have found Baldwin County the exact place for me. I was always sick in Chicago, but since I came down here I have enjoyed perfect health, so I found Baldwin County a suitable place for even sick people to regain health."
C. J. Ofverberg. Silverhill, Ala., September 29, 1908.
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Anna and Charles M. Lyrene in Chicago, about 1902. Read more about the Lyrene family.
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Other testimonials were from people with credentials giving their expert opinons such as on page 6 of this pamphlet.
D. W. Goodman, M. D. said; "In those elevated portions of Baldwin county the death rate is so low that were it not for the natural termination of sinectitude, the population would be almost perpetual."
On page 4 of the booklet Silverhill i Ord och Bild. Silverhill in Words and Pictures we see:
Translation of above: "Climate. This holy sunshine, the continuous breeze, and the good water are in such harmony with this beautiful situation; it is a certain thing that anyone that settles here in Silverhill is assured a long life, and comfortable time, which is not possible, any other place. The summers and winters are mild; it is a wonderful greeting that a man could ever expect."
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On page 26 in the booklet Svenska kolonien Silverhill i ord och bild, the Swedish colony Silverhill in words and pictures, Silverhill's own horticulturalist, O. F. E. Winberg states:
"Baldwin County, I beleive, is the most healthful place in the South. The climate conditions here are excellent. Contagious diseases are unknown in Baldwin County. On account of the mild winter, this section is equal to California as a winter resort."
O. F. E. Winberg. Silverhill, Ala., May 17, 1907.
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Oscar Fridoif Eskil Winberg, March 1911 in Silverhill.
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There were some people that came to Silverhill bringing the contagious tuberculosis disease with them. Some recovered on their own with the aide of proper nutrition and rest. Even those who survived their first bout with tuberculosis were likely to experience severe recurrences. Those that were in the advanced stages of the illness died.
Moving out of the crowded cities into the open sparsely populated area may have had the positive effect on their health that Silverhill's brochures publicized. Perhaps the move to Silverhill was the chance the settlers needed to keep from being exposed to the disease.
Visit the pages below to continue reading about the Svea Land Colony.
Written by Debbie Owen
November 2024
Resources
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