About Us

Milestones in the History of the Independent Order of Svithiod
(1880-2000)

• On December 3rd, 1880, a group of eight men met at Bowman's Hall, now 370 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.
  There the cornerstone was laid for the Svithiod of today. On March 14, 1881, Simon Hallberg was officially
  elected Chariman of the newly-formed organization and a committee was appointed to draft the by laws. The
  Independent Order of Svithiod, a fraternal beneficial society, was officially chartered on September 2, 1881.
  
  
• The year 1893 was a very important milestone in the history of the Svithiod Order. On the 25th of June, the
  Grand Lodge came into being with Axel Blomfelt as the first Grand Master and Bernhard Peterson as Secretary.
  
  
• The year 1916 was a very important year because it was decided to allow women to become members.
  Adga C. Nordlund of Skandia Lodge No. 27 became the first woman to sign an application for membership and
  was admitted on May 10, 1916. In June of 1916 the first ladies' lodge, Alpha No. 50 was instituted.
  
  
• Six more new lodges were organized to accommodate the growing I.O. Svithiod, bringing the grand total to 67 lodges in all. The membership role reached the 16,000 mark. During the Grand lodge year 1923-1924, a record total of 2,260 new members were admitted to membership.
  
  
• In August of 1962 at the convention held in Rockford, Illinois, an important resolution was adopted, allowing
  persons of Scandinavian birth or extraction to become members of Svithiod. Up to this time, only persons of
  Swedish birth or extraction had been accepted into membership. Now, persons of Scandinavian heritage: Danish,
  Icelandic, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish, were eligible to join the Order. This was a very important milestone
  in Svithod's history.
  
  
• Our Centennial Year, 1980, was momentous in Svithiod's history. Observances of various kinds were held throughout the year in the subordinate lodges to celebrate our 100 years of existence. On Sunday, October 19, 1980, a Centennial Pageant was held at Mather High School in Chicago, portraying our Order's 100th Anniversary. It was attended by over 500 people. The climax of the year's festivities was the 100th Anniversary Banquet, held at the O'Hare Marriott Hotel in Chicago on November 30, 1980. Seven hundred people attended this fitting finale to a spectacular era. These festivities were chaired by Past Grand master Edna Hofverberg along with many other hard-working and dedicated Svithiod members, which made these events successful.

Officers

Grand Master
Janet Nelson - Verdandi Lodge No. 3 - Chicago

Vice Grand Master
Yvonne (Bonnie) Swanson - Brage Lodge No. 29 - Peoria

Secretary-Treasurer
Arlene J. Lindell - Svithiod Lodge No. 1 & Verdandi Lodge No. 3 - Chicago

Board of Directors

Karin Bjorkling - Verdandi Lodge No. 3 - Chicago
Karl Olle Eriksson - Verdandi Lodge No. 3 - Chicago
Jean Gorski - Orion Lodge No. 64 - Franklin Park
Harold Johnson - Orion Lodge No. 64 - Franklin Park
Robert G. Johnson - Corona/John Ericsson No. 23 - Rockford
Rosita Nordgren - Svithiod Lodge No. 1 & Verdandi Lodge No. 3 - Chicago
Richard Rosberg - Svithiod Lodge No. 1 - Chicago
William Wajvoda - Andree Lodge No. 19 - Chicago

SVITHIOD NO. 1
1st Tuesday
7:00 P.M. Svithiod Hall
5516 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60630-3493
Chairman - Barbro Pearson

VERDANDI NO. 3
2nd and 4th Thursday
7:00 P.M. Svithiod Hall
5516 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60630-3493
Chairman - Karl Olle Eriksson

FREJ NO. 16
3rd Tuesday
6:30 P.M. for buffet at
1522 6th Ave., Moline, IL.
Chairman - Robert Doering
Meeting follows to
2411 10th Street
Rock Island, IL. 61201-4229

VASA NO. 17
1st Monday
In Members' Homes
Chairman - Ruth Joneson

ANDREE NO. 19
1st Friday at
Illiana Post
10508 S. Ewing
Chicago, IL. 60616
Chairman - Arlene Walley

CORONA/JOHN ERICSSON 23
1st Tuesday
Svithiod Hall at 1 P.M.
1104 4th Ave.
Rockford, IL. 61104
Chairman - Shirley Celebron

BRAGE NO. 29
1st Friday
6:00 P.M. for Potluck at
Lakeview YMCA
1013 Lake Ave.
Peoria, IL.
Chairman - Bonnie Swanson & Walt Chelgren

ORION NO. 64
3rd Thursday
7:30 P.M. at
Laurel Masonic Temple
2401 N. Ernst
Franklin Park, IL. 60130
Chairman - Harold Johnson

A Musical Performing Children's Group

A Scandinavian Children's Club sponsored by the Independent Order of Svithiod since 1982.

Sverige-Barnen is a family oriented club looking for new members to help keep the Scandinavian heritage alive. The children perform Swedish songs and dance throughout the Chicago area.

Sverige-Barnen practices on Friday evenings at St. James Lutheran Church, 7400 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois at 7:00 p.m.

For more information, call the I.O.S. Grand Lodge Office at (773) 736-1191.

Music Director - Irene Strom Spejcher

Officers

President - Caryn Bean