Restauration Celebration

A Beautiful Wooden Ship Arrives in New York

On the morning of October 9, the Restauration – an unusual ship made of wood – sailed under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and into New York Harbor. This Restauration is a faithful replica of the original Restauration, which weighed anchor on July 4, 1825, and departed from the port of Stavanger, Norway, filled with 52 immigrants, mostly Quakers, bound for new lives in America.

Restauration arrived here exactly 200 years ago, on October 9, 1825. As a welcome present, the vessel’s captain was arrested and the ship confiscated, because it carried too many people for a ship of its small size. But President John Quincy Adams intervened, and the Norwegian immigrants were nicknamed “sloopers” (for the design of Restauration) by the New York press. Settling near Rochester, the Slooper community numbered 1,000 souls by 1925.

Two centuries ago, the arrival of Restauration marked the beginning of a mass wave of migration from Norway, which would eventually see some 800,000 Norwegians (40 percent of population) resettle in America. (Only Ireland sent a greater share of its sons and daughters across the Atlantic.)

On October 9, at Pier 16, in the presence of H.R.H The Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, this 21st century Restauration concluded the historic journey and docked amid an outdoor celebration of Norwegian cultural heritage. The event featured performances by Norwegian pop star Astrid S and the Ragnhild Hemsing Trio, literature events at McNally Jackson, Norwegian delicacies to sample, and opportunities to meet the ship’s crew.

Along the cobblestones of Water Street, the South Street Seaport Museum is presenting Signs of Origin, a free, outdoor photographic exhibition (through November 30) featuring portraits of Americans of Norwegian descent paired with their thoughts on ethnic origins.