Last updated: 4/22/2016
Rock Island, Illinois
Street Address
639 38th St
Rock Island, IL 61201
Mailing Address
639 38th Street
Attn: Kai Swanson
Rock Island, IL 61201

Staff

Samantha Crisp
phone: 309-794-7317
Description

The Augustana Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization of professional scholars, amateur historians, and above all friends of Augustana College. We’re bound together by our desire to preserve and tell Augustana’s story and stories.

We tell Augustana stories in publications ranging from the scholarly work of distinguished professors such as Conrad Bergendoff, Jules Mauritzson and Fritiof Fryxell, to biographies of outstanding figures in our history, to histories of the college itself. We sponsor lectures and presentations on a variety of topics—most recently, on the Augustana Synod and on living history museums. We have restored historic areas on the Augustana campus and placed monuments, markers, and displays to commemorate these areas. Recent work by one of our members received an award of commendation from the Concordia Historical Society.

Mission

Our mission statement describes our purpose: to preserve the history of Augustana College, and its relation to the Lutheran Church and to Swedish-American immigration and culture. We do these things through publications, presentations, and the collection of written records and artifacts.

History

Since its founding in 1930, the Society has traced the stories of Swedish-Americans who settled in the Midwest, built the Augustana Synod, and organized, taught, and studied at Augustana College and Theological Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois. Like all histories, these stories often intermingle.

In the last decade or so, we have focused more attention on college history, as our upcoming publications indicate.

We have found the Augustana stories to be moving records of vision and courage. Many still remain untold. We’re dedicated to recovering and telling them, believing that the more we know of them, the more fully we can understand who we are and who we want to be.

Educational Programs
By joining us you’ll receive:

A 10% discount on any AHS publication
AHS “premiums” (complimentary or greatly discounted new AHS publications).
AHS Newsletter
The opportunity to attend programs in the fall and spring
Publications

A list of titles published by the AHS is available on our website. Please contact Dennis Norling at 309-794-8796 or dennisnorling@augustana.edu for ordering information.

Some of our titles are also available via the Augustana College bookstore (augustanabooks.com)

Exhibitions
Museum Events
DISCLAIMER
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Public Lands Alliance 2025 Convention and Trade Show

February 2 - 6, 2025

Las Vegas, Nevada

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 Tennessee Association of Museums Conference: HOPE

March 11 - 14, 2025

Knoxville, Tennessee

RECENT UPDATES

Museums

12/20 Loxahatchee River Historical Society

Jupiter, Florida

12/20 Museum of Science & History

Jacksonville, Florida

12/20 Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center

Naples, Florida

12/20 Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum

Boca Raton, Florida

12/20 HistoryMiami

Miami, Florida

Museum Vendors

11/19 Digiscura

Encino, California

Museum Associations

12/20 Florida Association of Museums

Tallahassee, Florida

12/18 Museum Store Association

Washington, District of Columbia

12/17 Nebraska Museums Association

Lincoln, Nebraska