Friends of the Viking Ship

The Viking is a replica of the Gokstad ship. In 1893, under Captain Magnus Andersen, she sailed across the Atlantic (from Bergen, Norway to New York) and on to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (via the Erie Canal and Great Lakes).
HISTORY

Declared one of the 10 most endangered landmarks in Illinois, this important, irreplaceable piece of our nation's and region's history must be preserved.
PRESERVATION

Learn of endangered landmarks status in Illinois at
landmarksillinois.org

Once on display in Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL

Image: Vesterheim Museum Archives

Download a
Membership form

The purpose of “Friends of the Viking Ship, N.F.P.” (FOVS) is: to facilitate the preservation of the 1893 Viking Ship as an important artifact from the Columbian Exposition, and to advocate its public display in a permanent museum setting with adequate security and climate control. To accomplish this goal, FOVS will raise funds for its protection and preservation, and for interpretation of its history. FOVS will also seek appropriate partners who share our mission of securing an optimal long-term home.

Now located at
Good Templar Park
Geneva, Illinois

Image: P. Straw

Download a
Contribution form

Friends of the Viking Ship, NFP is a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.

"Ship belongs in a museum"
An editorial in the Kane County Chronicle