The Printzhof, located in Governor Printz Park in

Essington, Pennsylvania Tinicum Township, also known as Tinicum Island or The Island, is a Township (Pennsylvania), township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,091 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 ...

, was the home of

Johan Björnsson Printz Johan Björnsson Printz (July 20, 1592 – May 3, 1663) was a Swedish military officer who was the 3rd governor of New Sweden, the Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish colony in North America, from 1643 until 1653. Early life in Sweden ...

, governor of

New Sweden New Sweden () was a colony of the Swedish Empire between 1638 and 1655 along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a g ...

History

In 1643, Johan Printz moved his capital from

Fort Christina Fort Christina, also called Fort Altena, was the first Sweden, Swedish settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Christina, Queen of Sweden, it was located approximately 1&nb ...

(located in what is now

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

) to Tinicum Island. At that time Fort Gothenburg was established in addition to Printz's dwelling and headquarters. Two years later a fire swept over the newly established settlement. The Printzhof was reconstructed more solidly and lavishly. The two-story log structure contained lumber sent from Sweden, glass windows and lavish draperies. Johan Björnsson Printz, his wife and younger children returned to Sweden during 1653. The

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...

subsequently captured the Swedish colony in 1655.

Armegott Printz Armegot Printz (1625–1695) was a Swedish noble. She was the daughter of Johan Björnsson Printz, governor of New Sweden, and she married her father's successor, governor Johan Papegoja. She is the most well documented and known woman of New ...

, the eldest daughter of Governor Printz, had married his successor, Lt. Johan Papegoja. She remained at The Printzhof even after the Dutch conquest. During 1662, she sold the estate for a partial down payment with the remainder due when she reached

The Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. When payment was refused, she returned to reclaim possession of her property. Ten years later in 1672, the Governor and Council ruled Armegott Printz should be in possession of the property. She subsequently sold the estate a second time and returned to Sweden where she died on November 25, 1695, at Läckö Castle. Today, the Printzhof's stone foundations are the only remains of the settlement. The Printzhof site is located near the intersection of Taylor Avenue and Second Street in Essington, Pennsylvania. The site was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1961. The farmstead from the former New Sweden Farmstead Museum in Bridgeton,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, was moved to the site of The Printzhof in Governor Printz Park and reconstructed from 2019 to 2020, and officially dedicated on June 12, 2022.

References

External links

Governor Printz State ParkPennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionGovernor Printz Park
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Historical Marker Database The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org) is an online database that documents locations of numerous historical markers and commemorative plaques in the United States as well as other countries. The database was launched in 2006 by computer progra ...

Tinicum
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Johan Printz
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Tinicum History Pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Printzhof Houses completed in 1643 National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania New Sweden Swedish-American culture in Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Delaware County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Pennsylvania 1643 establishments in the Swedish colonial empire

History

See also

References

External links