Swedeland is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the suburbs of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. It was founded as "Matsunk" by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

settlers in 1710. The name was changed to Swedeland sometime in the late 19th century.

History

Situated along the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

and the Matsunk Creek, the Swedish village was composed of about 19 homes. After the conquering of the Swedish colony by the Dutch, followed by English control, in 1664, a third generation settler with the

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden f ...

Colony named Peter Yocum the Third (1678–1753) established Swedeland. William Penn offered the Swedish and Finnish colonists land from his grant in this Upper Merion area. By the mid-19th century, Abraham Supplee operated a factory producing Kentucky Jean, employing some 25 hands. The extensive works of the Swede Iron Company were also here, consisting of two large furnaces and a railroad leading from the iron ore mines to the Schuylkill River. The land in the vicinity Swedeland/Matsunk was known for its fertile soil,

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and iron ore quarries. The Alan Wood Steel Company built a massive steel Plant and Coking Facility in Swedeland in 1919; this brought forth a need for additional housing. Alan Wood Steel operated into the early 1980s. The Swedeland Volunteer Fire Company was formed in 1920 and continues to protect the citizens of Upper Merion and nearby communities. Swedeland has continued its industrial heritage and is surrounded by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, chemical manufacturer Lonza, the Renaissance Business Park and The Philadelphia Newspapers Incorporated Complex.

History

References

See also