“Without the aid of original records and authentic documents, history will be nothing more than a well-combined series of ingenious conjectures and amusing fables.” –Address to the Public, The New York Historical Society, 1805
The present Swedish–American Archives of Greater Chicago owe their existence to a number of dedicated men and women, but no one more than Selma Jacobson, a retired Chicago public school teacher whose perseverance brought them about and who served as the first archivist from 1968 to 1981. One goal of the fledgling Swedish Pioneer Historical Society in 1948 was "to collect and preserve documents and general data of historical interest," but other concerns took precedence until 1962, when an archives committee was created after Jacobson goaded at the annual meeting, "Somebody ought to begin to collect things."
In 1968, North Park College, where the Society has had its headquarters since 1950, made space available for an archives in the former library with Jacobson as archivist. The Swedish–American Archives of Greater Chicago are now housed in a modern, temperature-controlled facility in the Paul and Bernice Brandel Library under the direction of archivist Andy Meyer.
Society Supported Scholarships and Awards
The Society is proud to support research with the following grants and awards:
Nils William and Dagmar Olsson Research Fund
Established in 1969, the Olsson Research Fund provides modest grants to help defray expenses of original research in the field of Swedish-American history. Grant proposals should include a curriculum vitae, project description (2-4 pages) and itemized estimate of expenses. Letters of application, together with the required documents, should be sent to Philip J. Anderson, Chair, Awards and Grants Committee, Swedish American Historical Society, 3225 W. Foster Ave., Box 48, Chicago, IL 60625-4895.
Franklin D. Scott Prize
This is a $250 prize awarded for the best article by a writer previously unpublished in the Swedish-American Historical Quarterly or Swedish-American Studies. The prize is named for the late Franklin Scott, historian, former president of the Swedish-American Historical Society, and former editor of the Quarterly. Submissions should be sent in digital form to the journal editor. All submissions should be double spaced, with footnotes numbered serially and placed at the end.
Emerging Scholars Prize
Established in 2010, the prize is open to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students interested in writing an article for the journal. Every student who submits an entry that is accepted for publication will receive a one-year Society membership, with the best article winning a $250 prize. Submissions should be sent in digital form to the journal editor.