Bishop Hill State Historic Site Bishop Hill was the site of a
utopian religious community founded in 1846 by Swedish pietist
Eric Janson (18081850) and his followers. A number of
historically significant buildings have survived and are
scattered throughout the village, four of which are owned by the
state and managed as part of the Bishop Hill State Historic
Site. The 1848 Colony Church is a two-story frame building. The
three-story stuccoed-brick 1850s Colony Hotel served commercial
travelers and provided a link to the outside world. The 1850
"Boys' Dormitory" is a small two-story frame structure believed
to have provided housing for boys making the transition to
working adulthood. An 1850s Colony barn was relocated behind the
Hotel to the site of the original Hotel stable. In addition to
the historic structures, the state owns the village park with a
gazebo and memorials to the town's early settlers and Civil War
soldiers. The brick museum building houses a valuable collection
of primitivist paintings by co