Landing of The Swedes

Landing of The Swedes is a Delaware historical marker in Wilmington, New Castle County, dedicated 2008.

New Castle County · dedicated 2008 · Ft. Christina Park, 1110 E 7th Street, Wilmington

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In late 1637, the new Sweden Company sent out its first expedition to America to establish a Swedish presence in the New World. Sailing in two ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip, the expedition landed near this site in March 1638. Under Peter Minuit’s leadership, Fort Christina was erected to protect the new settlement. Named after Queen Christina of Sweden, the fort was home to approximately 25 colonists. It was the first permanent European settlement in what is now the State of Delaware. Fort Christina served as the new colony’s administrative and commercial center as the Swedes expanded their influence throughout the Delaware Valley. Known as New Sweden, the colony was conquered by the Dutch in 1655 before the English took over the region in 1664. Today, the City of Wilmington traces its roots from this first settlement of the Swedes.

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John Carter Brown Library, Brown University

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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Source: State of Delaware Historical Markers Program, administered by the Delaware Public Archives.
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On the National Register nearby

Fort Christina240 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.