Preserve Bishop Hill Corporation

06/01/2026

Here are a few updates from Jeff Nevins regarding the IDNR restoration projects in Bishop Hill:



CDB, JLK, and IDNR have been meeting to discuss the scope of the project considering additional funds that were added to the project
The priority for the project remains the Colony Church, followed by the Bjorklund Hotel, the Boys Dormitory, and the Restroom Building
We discussed adding a video feed from the sanctuary to the first floor so those with limited mobility could still observe services in the church; it’s possible that we may be able to turn this into a live stream feed as well, so people across the world could watch services and special events in the space
There will be additional site visits occurring as JLK and their partners continue to gather information and finalize details


Here are the next steps and future timeline:

Mid-July: 50% drawings are due from JLK to be reviewed by CDB and IDNR. These drawings will be reviewed thoroughly and discussed with JLK. They will then prepare 75% drawings and 100% drawings - again with CDB and IDNR input; it seems tedious but this helps ensure that we don’t miss any details and that when we get to the construction phase everything moves well according to plan
May 2027: Drawings finalized
June 2027: Project goes out for contractors to bid
September 2027: Construction begins

The total cost of all projects will be $15.5 million. 

12/26/2025

Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful Bishop Hill supporters! Here is a beautiful picture taken from the balcony of the Colony Church during  Julotta services from yesterday. It was heartwarming to see so many people join in fellowship on this candlelit morning—remembering those colonists who sacrificed so much.

More updates on the restoration projects of State-owned historic structures in the next month or so. Happy New Year! 

12/22/2025

The Christmas tradition of Julotta returns to the Bishop Hill State Historic Site in Henry County this holiday season with a nondenominational church service at 6 a.m. Christmas Day at the Colony Church. The event is open to the public.

The word Julotta comes from the Swedish words for “yule” and “before dawn.” Christmas morning in Sweden historically begins with attendance at a Julotta service. Since 1970, the service has been a tradition in Bishop Hill to help reaffirm the community’s Swedish heritage.

Learn more here:https://www.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/illinois/iisnewsattachments/32025-121725-12172025-bishop-hill-julotta-service.pdf.pdf

11/20/2025

Hello everyone! We have another update from Jeff Nevins who is the Historic Sites Division Manager with IDNR in Springfield:
———
Bad news first: the project will be slightly delayed as CDB, IDNR, and JLK have to do some additional planning and design work. But this is because of the good news…

The good news: GOMB (The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget) has approved an additional $5 million for phase 1 of the Bishop Hill renovations. With the injection of additional funds we have to recalibrate what we are able to accomplish and some of the items that were probably going to be delayed until phase 2 can now be completed in phase 1. Like I said, this will cause a slight delay as we adjust our plans but the stabilization that was necessary for the Colony Church building has already taken place.

At the end of the day, we are in really good shape and the additional funding is truly the best-case scenario.
———
-Best,
Courtney Stone
President of the PBHC

10/13/2025

***Bishop Hill Update***

Meet Ryley Lamb, the most recent member of the Bishop Hill family. Ryley has been hired as the Site Services Specialist II. Among her responsibilities at the State Site will be the oversight and participation in the research, planning, implementation, and demonstration of interpretive programs, including costume and genealogy programs; facilitation of tours of the State Site; organization and production of exhibits and educational materials; and preservation and conservation of the Site’s artifacts.

Recently, I had the pleasure to sit down with Ryley for an engaging conversation regarding her background, how she came to Bishop Hill, her professional goals, and future plans for Bishop Hill State Historic Site.

Born and raised in SW Iowa, just outside of Libertyville to be exact, Ryley had a strong commitment to her surroundings–including the importance of community and Midwest history. She earned a Bachelor’s of Art in History and Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Northern Iowa and subsequently took her Master’s Degree (again, in History) from Minnesota State University, Mankato. During her time at UNI, Ryley worked at the university’s museum, focusing on their textile, photographic, and ethnohistory collections.

She was drawn to our historic village as it aligns perfectly with her professional goals: to be a part of a smaller historic community where she can wear many hats (Perfect fit, right?). As a historian, Ryley loves to tell stories and she realizes that Bishop Hill has some vital ones to tell. She believes that accurate storytelling of the history of the Bishop Hill Colony will connect us all. Lamb accounts, “Museums are stewards of their collections…and they need to be accessed by the public…”

Ryley mentioned to me how she has been impressed with the modern multigenerational civic engagement of our community and the level of diversity in the State Site’s collection: photos, textiles, furniture, and other important accessions. Some of her initial impressions of Bishop Hill’s history include the atypical migration/settlement patterns (of the Colonists), the village’s wealth of Colony material culture, and the transformation of religious expression. Again, this all aligns with her course-work studies in Midwest history (1820-1910).

At multiple points during our interview, Ryley expressed her passion for very specific goals that she holds for the future. She is ready and excited to help oversee the much-needed restoration projects of the Colony Church, the Ox Boy’s Dormitory, and Bjorklund Hotel. Moreover, she has plans to ensure the story of Bishop Hill continues during the various phases of physical improvements on our State-owned historic structures. Temporarily, some State-owned buildings in town may not be accessible to the public during the restoration work. Because of this, she would like to “take the history of the Bishop Hill Colony on the road.” She plans to do this not only by continuing current programming but by reaching out to local schools to provide opportunities for students to learn about Bishop Hill’s immigration story (in part, through trade demonstrations). “Historic programming engages the dimensions of education–allowing all people access to public history.”

Ryley’s office is located at the State Site (white house) and she intends to be visible in the community as we all ramp up for the upcoming holiday events. So, say hello if you see her out and about. These are exciting times for the future of Bishop HIll. Welcome to Bishop Hill, Ryley!

—President Courtney Stone

08/30/2025

A few updates about the work being done at Bishop Hill State Historic Site:

JLK – the architecture firm handling the design of the renovations – has submitted their first round of drawings and documentation for CDB & IDNR review. Think of these as very rough drafts that we will work with CDB and JLK to refine until we have our final detailed drawings for construction to begin. Here are the highlights:

The Colony Church is top priority, with the work to stabilize the building and allow for continued occupancy of the sanctuary space taking up about 10% of the overall estimated budget
Many of the interior repairs and upgrades at the Colony Church – new lighting, exterior receptacles, and water service upgrades for example – will not be included in this work, but the Church structure will be stable when the work is done; things like new lights and interior painting can be done out of our operating budget in the coming years
The Bjorklund Hotel will also be stabilized and life safety issues addressed, but very little cosmetic work will be done
The Boys Dormitory will be stabilized and life safety issues addressed, but no further work will be done at this time
The Colony Church Restroom building will have some exterior envelope repairs – siding, doors, windows, roof, etc. – done with some limited MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) repairs as well
The current plan is to demolish the shed – it is not historically relevant to the period of significance and we can use the money that would go towards it elsewhere in the project


As we anticipated, some good news and some bad news. Hopefully some additional funding becomes available in order to expand the scope of the project and I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything on that front.



CDB is mobilizing a crew in the coming months to do some stabilization work on the Colony Church so you may be seeing some folks on site. This is NOT the beginning of the renovation work, but rather some work that needs to be done to guarantee the Colony Church is in good shape when the renovations do beginte

05/01/2025

We’ve received more details about the funding for the projects in Bishop Hill:
$12m has been appropriated for this phase of the renovations. That includes the work on the Colony Church, the Bjorklund Hotel, the Boys Dormitory, church restrooms, and shed.
That money will go to both Architect & Engineering fees and expenses, as well as physical construction costs
That $12m is not a final dollar amount and the project could ultimately cost more or less depending on scope, issues that come up throughout the project, etc.

04/20/2025

We’ve received an update from Jeff Nevins, the Historic Sites Division Manager for the IDNR:

On Monday, April 7, 2025, representatives from the Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Capital Development Board (CDB), JLK Architects and their supporting partners, and many of the Bishop Hill advocates and supporters met in Bishop Hill to discuss the upcoming renovations at the state historic site.

- This phase of the project includes 5 buildings: the Colony Church, the boys dormitory, the Bjorklund Hotel, the church restroom building, and the small shed west of the restroom building
- JLK Architects is asking the community for relevant historic documents and images (specifically from the Colony period) to help inform the interpretation of the historic structures
- Community members may see workers on site doing various investigations as the design phase continues, but a lack of bodies on site does NOT equal a lack of progress
- JLK will submit several rounds of designs, further refining details with each subsequent round of submittals
- The first round of designs is due in early June 2025, with the final round due to be completely in July/August 2026
- The design phase does take a LONG time, but this is in order to ensure we are doing everything properly with a long-term and lasting restoration as the end goal

04/11/2025

There has been some exciting news on the restoration of historic structures in Bishop Hill!

Long-Awaited Repair and Restoration Planning Work at Bishop Hill State Historic Site Moving Forward

10/20/2024

Hi folks! We just wanted to update you on some more information regarding State restoration projects in Bishop Hill. We were just notified that the Capitol Development Board
(CDB) has hired Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects for the A/E on Phase 1 of the restoration project in Bishop Hill. We hope to give you some more updates soon.