About Friends of the Viking Ship

	Friends of the Viking Ship

ABOUT	HISTORY	PRESERVATION	TOURS	JOIN	RESOURCES
The 1893 Viking Ship exhibit will open in the spring. Visit us at Good Templar Park, Geneva, IL, between 1:00 & 4:00 on these dates: • April 24 • May 22 • July 17 • August 14 • September 18 • October 9

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).

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.

Learn of endangered landmarks status in Illinois at
landmarksillinois.org

Once on display in Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL

Image: Vesterheim Museum Archives

Now located in Geneva, Illinois

Image: P. Straw

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

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.

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