“You Speak Very Good English for a Swede”: Language, Culture, and Persistence in Maine’s Swedish Colony

In the summer of 1870, a small group of Swedish immigrants arrived in northern Maine with the intention of establishing a farming colony in a place they called New Sweden. Despite many difficulties, the community has persisted and maintained a strong sense of its Swedish heritage. A demographic study of those who lived in the Swedish colony during its first sixty years suggests that language retention played an important role in keeping both the community and its identity alive. Katherine Hoving completed her Masters of Arts in History at the University of Maine, Orono, in December 2001. She is currently employed as a Museum Educator at the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York