Svea Land Colony
The Land of the Future
This 24-page pamphlet advertised land in Silverhill in the Swedish language. Microfilmed by Lennart Setterdahl in 1978, owned at the time by Elvera Armstrong.
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"Svenska kolonien Silverhill, Baldwin County, Alabama. Framtidens Land" Translation:
The Swedish Colony
Silverhill,
Baldwin County, Alabama.
The Land of the Future.
Svea Land Colony,
Room 512, Chicago Opera House Building,
112 S. Clark Street, Chicago, Ill.
Oscar Johnson, Mng'r,
Silverhill, Baldwin Co., Alabama.
The cover showed an enhanced picture of Oscar Johnson's home in Silverhill. Apparently, the hotel, built in 1899, was under construction when the pamphlet was published.
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The pamphlet compared the beauty of the Silverhill and Baldwin County land to a Swedish meadow:
The country is forested, but the forest does not cover the land. Grass is growing everywhere, and the land is reminiscent of a Swedish meadow with its many beautiful flowers and lush grass when the dew glitters in the sunlight from every straw.
The soil consists of a black loam mixed with sand on clay bottom. Coupled with even temperatures, eg. beautiful sunny days with equal amounts of rain every month, the conditions are favorable for growing all kinds of grain, rotväxter [Such as potatoes which grow underground], vegetables, fruit, nuts, etc., that are grown in the North.... It is possible to get 2-3 harvests a year on the same land. The climate and location of the land, however, makes this region most suitable for fruit growing, more so than any other area in the America....
In Silverhill, one can prosper from growing corn, oats, rye, wheat, hay, cotton, cabbage, sugarcane, "upland" rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, melons, cucumbers and all kinds of vegetables. But most profitable are fruit and tobacco. It is equal to Cuba tobacco, which is marketed for about $1.50 per pound. Among the fruits grown in Silverhill are apricots, peaches, pears, olives, plumbs, prunes, apples, grapes, figs, pecan and other nuts, as well as berries of all kinds.
The pamphlet stated that a family dwelling with four rooms could be built for $150.00. The Swedish colony had access to more than 20,000 acres, whereof 6,000 had been sold to Scandinavians. The price per acre varied between $15 and $40. Satisfied customers were quoted.
Another pamphlet, printed after the 1899 construction of the Silverhill Hotel, shows enhanced pictures of Oscar Johnson's home and Dr. Slosson's home two miles southwest of the center of Silverhill on the outside of the back cover.
Go here to see all pages of this pamphlet pictured below.
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Silverhill's early promotional booklet. Translation:
A person can have a four-room house built for $150 to $400 after all expenses of the surveying and location has been determined.
Svea Land Colony undertakes to build houses, plant fruit trees and do any other work for the land purchaser.
Write or visit
Svea Land Colony,
122 S. Clark Street, Chicago Opera House Building, Suite 512,
CHICAGO, ILL.
Click booklet cover to enlarge.
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The Svea Land Colony played a large part in developing the town of Silverhill and surrounding areas. What do we know about the Svea Land Colony? Was it a colony of immigrants from Sweden, a parcel of land, a real estate company, or a group of investors?
The next four sections explain more about the Svea Land Colony. Visit the pages below to continue reading.
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