Restauration was a sloop built in 1801 in Hardanger, Norway. It became a symbol of Norwegian American immigration. Historical sources may contain several variations on the name of the sloop, including Restauration, Restoration, Restaurasjonen, and Restorasjon.[1]
Contents |
On what is considered the first organized emigration from Norway to the United States, Restauration set sail from Stavanger on July 5, 1825, with 52 people aboard, many of them Norwegian Quakers. Probably many of this group belonged to a similar local movement, the Haugeans, a Lutheran sect which derived its name from Hans Nielsen Hauge. The group, led by Cleng Peerson, landed in New York City on October 9, 1825 after a three-month voyage.[2]
For a vessel of her size the Restauration had far more passengers on board than were allowed by American law. This resulted in a severe fine, confiscation of the ship and the arrest of the captain, Captain L. O. Helland. The situation was solved when President John Quincy Adams pardoned the captain on the 15th of November released him and the ship and rescinded the fine. The people who made this voyage, and are sometimes referred to as the Sloopers, moved onward to their first settlement, in Kendall, Orleans County, New York.[3][4]
In 1925, two stamps were issued by the United States Post Office to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival in New York of the Restauration. The 2-cent stamp has for its central design a ship representing the Restauration. The illustration on the two cent stamp is an artist's rendition of what the Restauration probably looked like based on a drawing of its sister ship.
The 5-cent stamp has for its central design a Viking ship. This design is from a photograph of the Viking which sailed from Norway to Chicago for the Columbian Exposition of 1893. The design on the 5-cent stamp was from a photograph of an exact size replica of the Viking. A flag of the United States is seen waving from the bow of the ship. That ship was a replica of the Gokstad ship on display in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo.
In 1975, in honor of the sesquicentennial of the arrival, Cleng Peerson was depicted on a Norwegian NOK 1.40 postage stamp.The date of Leif Erikson Day in the United States was chosen to coincide with the day the Restauration arrived in New York Harbor: October 9. A replica of Restauration is currently under construction in Norway, at Jørn Flesjå's small wooden shipyard at Finnøy in Ryfylke.[5]