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History
In 1638, only 18 years after the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, a group of Swedes and Finns landed in New Jersey. These were some of the first settlers in New Jersey. They sailed in two ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip. Unlike the Pilgrims who settled in the New World for religious reasons, the Swedes set out to compete with the commercial interests of the Dutch in New Amsterdam (now New York). The Swedish and Finns sailed along the New Jersey Coast, into the Delaware Bay and up the Delaware River, where they established their settlements. Near present day Salem, they erected a fort called "Old Fort Elfsborg", as well as other settlements on both sides of the river.

Because of the threat they posed to New Amsterdam trading, they were quickly confronted and forced to leave.

On April 14, 1988, to mark the 350th anniversary of the settlement of Swedes, their majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia formally opened the Farmstead Museum after 6 years of work.

The Farmstead
The New Sweden Farmstead recreates the early Swedish settlements. Seven log structures located in in Historic Bridgeton's 1,100 acre city park make up this living history museum. Here you can see what life was like for some of the first European settlers to New Jersey and the only Swedish settlements in the New World. During the construction a technical team came from Sweden to create this authentic Swedish farmstead.

While touring the grounds you can see a blacksmith shop, sauna, smokehouse, storehouse, threshing shop, stable, barn and outhouse. During the summer there are special events.

The New Sweden Farmstead offers a rare and unique experience for anyone interested in learning about the earliest settlers in America, especially a rare glimpse into the only Swedish settlements in America.

The goal of The New Sweden Company, the developers of New Sweden Farmstead, is to educate and provide cultural information pertaining to the Scandinavian influence on the United States. Linguists have theorized that the unique speech patterns of southern New Jersey can be traced to the Swedish settlers.