Capitoleum

        The Capitoleum was built in 1870 soon after the first group of Swedish settlers arrived. It was a community center and served as a place for new arrivals to camp before moving to their own lots. The building marks the area where the settlers arrived. It was used as the first school and as a store and post office.W. W. Thomas stayed here during the early days of the Colony.

     A town hall was built to the west and the Capitol School, which is used today as a museum and Scandinavian gift shop, was built to the east. Capitol Hill Cemetery is just east of the Capitol School. Later the Capitol was used as a museum.

Interior shots of the museum’s furnishings and exterior elevations were taken by Robert Nylander prior to 1970.

The original structure burned when lightning struck the adjacent town hall, but all of the artifacts inside the museum were saved as well as the front doors. A reproduction was built in 1970 and serves as the main museum for the New Sweden Historical Society.

Pictured above is Everett Larsson in front of the building of the reproduction of the Capitoleum ca. 1970

Copyright 2012 Jean B. Duncan

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jeanbduncan@yahoo.com