The transformation of a family homestead to a museum quality property.

Nestled in the mature trees along Oleson Road is an unassuming place called Fogelbo. In Swedish, the term means "bird nest," derived from the Fogelquist family name. A sweeping drive takes you to a fine log home, rustic but with charm and clearly loved.
The log structure was built between 1938 and 1940. A Swedish couple, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Olson, had the home built by Henry Steiner, one of the chief carpenters of the historic Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.
The concept of the log house was brought to America by the first Swedish colonists, who established "New Sweden" in 1638. In later years the colony was absorbed by the Dutch and later by the English. The knowledge of log house construction was disseminated throughout the colonies and later throughout the whole country.
The third owners of the property were Charles and Jessie Fogelquist, who did extensive work on the site and house from 1952 until 1979. Washington County designated Fogelbo as an historical site in 1989.
The Fogelquist family has its roots in the town of Mora, in Dalarna, Sweden. In the 1800s the Fogelquists were wealthy land proprietors. Magnus Christian Fogelquist bought the beautiful estate, "Christinaberg," in 1850 after having owned estates in southern Sweden. His wife was Ann Greta Lyckholm, whose family owned and operated the largest breweries in Sweden in the 1800s. Their grandson, Fredrik Christian Fogelquist immigrated to the United States in 1891. He was a highly skilled craftsman who constructed numerous pieces of furniture and decorative items. A number of these items can be found at Fogelbo today. He was an active educator at Selah High School in Washington for twenty-eight years. Later he was an instructor at the Perry Institute in Yakima, Washington. Charles Fogelquist, his son, was a forester and in later years the chief road engineer for the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon. His wife, Jessie Taylor, was a piano teacher for 25 years. Their son, Ross, was a German teacher and foreign exchange student advisor in the Evergreen School District in Vancouver, Washington.
The house of Fogelbo is home to many European and American artifacts. The house has been featured often in newspapers, magazines and on local television. 1500 - 2000 guests pass through the house and grounds annually. Many Swedish cultural events are held on the property for the New Sweden Heritage and Culture organization led by Ross Fogelquist, a great man with an uncompromised vision of building on and maintaining of the Swedish heritage and culture.

New Sweden memorable events at Fogelbo
Most of the Swedish cultural events in Portland are linked to Fogelbo in one way or another, such as fundraisings, Midsummer festivities, Kräftskiva (a classic Swedish crayfish party), Lucia celebrations and Christmas events.
The annual fundraising event to support “Trollbacken,” a children’s language and culture summer camp, is the “Garage Sale” on the grounds of Fogelbo. It generates a lot of interest in the area, especially in the Swedish community of Portland. Here one can find anything from knick-knacks to antiques. Many children of Swedish-American parents remember the fun Midsummer festivities with the decorating and raising of the Maypole followed by the traditional singing and dancing.
At the height of summer the traditional cray fish party brings a lot of food, refreshments and singing through the night. The morning after could sound like:

Minne - jag har tappat mitt mine.
Är jag svensk eller finne?
Kommer inte ihåg.
Minne - är jag ute eller inne?
Jag har luckor i mitt mine.
Utav små alkohål.
Men besinne.
Man tätar med det brännevin man får.
Så att minne och helan gåååår!

Fogelbo is decorated in its best Christmas attire when welcoming the guests for the Glögg Party and Tour at Fogelbo. It is without question the center of gravity for everything Swedish in the region and the Christmas Party is an integral event.

The New Sweden Cultural Heritage Society was chartered in 1989 and most board meetings are regularly held at Fogelbo, as are the popular and well-attended members’ annual meetings.
Other cultural events are also linked to Fogelbo as Ross Fogelquist is very active in other Scandinavian, German and Austrian organizations.
Fogelquist has received numerous awards locally and nationally for his contributions to Scandinavian culture. The Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf, in 1985, knighted him as Knight of the Royal Order of the Polar Star first class, due to his many achievements on behalf of Sweden and Scandinavia. He served as acting Swedish Consul for Oregon in 1993, and again between 1999-2001. He then served as Honorary Vice Consul for the Swedish Consulate up to 2008 when Sweden closed its consulate in Portland.
In many ways Fogelbo has transformed itself from a normal family homestead to a Swedish quality museum that will live with us for a long time. It is also the emotional “home” for many Swedish activities in Oregon and southern Washington.