New Sweden Alliance

Established in 1638, New Sweden Colony--the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley--brought innovation and friendly trade relations to the New World. Founded primarily by settlers from Sweden and Finland, the multicultural nature of the colony expanded in 1639 when Antoni Swart (Black Antony) arrived.

The Swedish ship Kalmar Nyckel, dropped anchor at “The Rocks” on the shores of the river that the settlers would name for their queen, Christina. Radiating from the original Fort Christina in present-day Wilmington, Delaware, the colonists formed Swedish settlements as far north as the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania and in Swedesboro and other communities in New Jersey.

In 2013, Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden and Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, Mr. Eero Heinäluoma and his wife, Ms Satu Siitonen-Heinäluoma, visited Wilmington on May 11 in honor of the Jubilee 375th Anniversary Celebration. And so, the celebration of New Sweden continues.

The New Sweden Alliance Incorporated (NSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, umbrella organization of Swedish- and Finnish-American heritage groups in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey formed to promote and celebrate the culture, history, and contributions of New Sweden in the Delaware Valley and, by extension, throughout the United States.