Celebrating the Heritage of the Smoky Valley
Lindsborg Old Mill & swedish heritage Museum
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The Historic 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion is at risk of permanent loss.
Learn today how you can help Save the Pavilion!
Old Mill Museum
The Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum celebrates and preserves the pioneering spirit of the Smoky Valley by educating, entertaining, and building community across generations so that history comes to life. With special emphasis on the period from 1870 to 1910, the museum includes two buildings on the National Registry of Historical Places and extensive archives and artifact collections.
The museum archives can help find your family roots. If you have ancestors who lived in McPherson County, it’s likely some record of their lives can be found in the historical documents. Have Swedish ancestors? Ask about resources for Swedish research!
1898 Historic Flour Mill
1904 World's Fair Swedish Pavilion
1870 Homestead Cabin
Watch Mill of Memories, Mill of Dreams below…
An introduction to the Old Mill, its history, and its workings.
UpComing Events
"Skeleton-Of-Dog": Mini-Exhibition
Open April 2024
A temporary exhibition highlighting the best geological artifacts, fossil specimens, and natural history taxidermy from the old Bethany College Museum collection archives.
"Magic at the Mill" - Magic the Gathering Card Tournament
6 - 10 p.m., September 21
Unique and first-of-their-kind Magic the Gathering card game competitions that will be held in Lindsborg’s beautiful & historic 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
7 and 8:30 p.m., October 10, 11, & 12, 2024
Bonus Midnight Show starting at 11:15 p.m. on October 12
Back by popular request, this performance of the classic spooky tale is returning to Lindsborg’s beautiful Heritage Square in even-numbered years.
The classic story by Washington Irving will be presented in a progressive roving theatre style in which the audience moves with the actors from scene to scene. This storybook tale, with all its thrills and chills, revolves around the bumbling schoolteacher Ichabod, the coquettish Katrina, and Ichabod’s brutish rival, Brom Bones. And saving the best for last—the ride of the headless horseman!
Historical Speaker Series: Henry Lungstrom
1:30 p.m., October 12
Machinist. Inventor. Genius.
Henry’s 6th grade education and a curious nature led him into the world of manufacturing, working for Hagstrom Brother’s Manufacturing Co until 1930, when the firm sold the Lindsborg branch to him.
Presentation by Steve Borell. Steve, a Lindsborg native, grew up watching Henry and learning from the man who became a friend to his father and to him.
Digging Deeper in Your Swedish Research: Virtual Genealogy Workshop with ArkivDigital
9 a.m. - 4 p.m., October 26
Topics
- Where Do I Begin? Basics of Swedish Research
- Swedish Emigration Resources
- What is new in ArkivDigital?
- Research in other Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, and Norway
Old Family Photos: Trash or Treasure?
1:30 - 2:30 p.m., November 2
Virtual Presentation from Sue Schlichting of Pursuing YOUR Past.
We’ll talk about how to organize, identify and gather new research clues from the photos in your collection. Whether there are names on them or not, they are treasures we can learn from. Those old photos can tell some great stories about your family.
Historical Speaker Series: Swedish Churches of the Smoky Valley
1:30 p.m., November 9
The Smoky Valley in southern Saline county and northern McPherson county were settled starting in 1868 by a group of Swedes from Värmland, Sweden and a few years later a group from Galesburg, IL led by Rev. A.W. Dahlsten.
Presented by Tom Holmquist. Tom is a retired teacher who taught music, history, and agriculture.
Heritage Christmas
5:30 - 8:00 p.m., December 14
This classic, old-fashioned Christmas event is held annually on the second Saturday in December, and centers around community music performances in the 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion.
Historical Speaker Series: Rev. Carl Aaron Swensson (Reenactment)
January 2025
First president of Bethany College, Rev. Swensson was called to Lindsborg by the Synod to serve at the Swedish Bethany Lutheran Church. In 1881, he stepped out on his own to found Bethany College.
This is a first-person portrayal by Jim Ruble. Jim has spent considerable time researching Rev. Swensson and his life.
Historical Speaker Series: Alma Luise Olson
1:30 p.m., February 8, 2025
Alma was born and grew up near Lindsborg. She was educated at the Bethany Academy and Bethany College, from where she moved on to Chicago for graduate studies, and then moved to New York City to become a New York Times journalist and a correspondent.
Presented by Karen Humphrey.
Historical Speaker Series: Amalia Rabenius
1:30 p.m., March 8, 2025
Amalia was hired in 1900 to teach in the Model School at Bethany College. More specifically, she started a new program in Slöyd, a curriculum of manual training that teaches the use of a slöyd knife to make a variety of structured projects, usually in wood.
Presented by Dr. Marlysue Holmquist. Dr. Holmquist is a retired Bethany College professor.
Millfest
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Each spring, the museum hosts Millfest – a family event celebrating the history of the mill and the pioneer heritage of the region. Millfest is held the first weekend in May and features guided tours of the mill in operation.
<!--Svensk Hyllingsfest
October 13 & 14-->
<!--Virtual Swedish Genealogy Workshop
9 a.m. - 4 p.m., October 21-->
Group & SChool TOurs
At Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum, the staff and volunteers strive to provide educational opportunities to children. The museum offers a wide range of activities for group and school tours. We have designed our programs to help teachers meet curriculum standards. For most programs and tours there is a minimal fee involved.
CampGROUND
Rentals
The Old Mill Campground is a small park area, with mature trees and a gravel road looping through, along the Smoky Hill River. It has 12 thirty amp and 6 fifty amp electrical hook-ups, and a large area suitable for tent camping.
