Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-09-23
OLEANA COLONY
Ole Bull Founded II In Pennsylvania
hut II Never Tbrived

The Pennsylvania Historical commits.
sion and the Potter County Historical
society held their July meeting at the
ruins Of Ole Bull castle. near Oleana.
Potter county. Pa. July S0-an incident
relating the romantic relationship Of Ole
Bull 10 Madison. The famous Norwegian
violinist lntermittently for some eleven
years made Madison his home having
married Miss Sara Thorpe whose father.
retired Eau Claire lumberman. owned
the place. which now is the executive
residence.
This marriage occurred in 1870, and the
ceremony WAS performed in the Thorpe
home by the Rev. c. Fl. Richards, Con-
gregationalist. Ole Bull was then 50 and
his bride 49, 1t was not a happy union,
and the Bulls lived apart at times after
ward. The two became engaged while
Mrs. Thorpe and her daughter were guests
in Ole Bulls home at Bergen, and they
returned to America together, the we'd
ding taking place as soon as possible.
Joseph G. Thorpe. brother of Mrs. Bull
and Harvard man. married a daughter
OF LonGfellow the poet. and resides at
Cambridge. Mass. next to the old Long
feIloW homestead. which was General
Washington's headquarters for a time
during the Revolutionary War.
The Pennsylvania ruins are the only
remnants to mark the site OF the his
toric Oleana. colony Ole Bull estab-
lished. and to settle which he induced
a shipload OF his Scandinavian country
nen to come to America. Ole Bull was
highly enthusiastic and sank So, 900 In
the enterprise building a castle to be
his home as the patriarch Of the place.
The colony was established at the head
waters of Kettle creek in 1852 Four
small villages were laid out-Oleana
New Bergen. Walhalla and New Norway
in the then wilderness. Ole Bull him
self built the romantic castle-only a
small house, 26 by 30 feet-high up on
title to the lands not only proved de-
| fective, but the inaccessibility of the
place. the naturally forbidding nature OF
the country and the homesckness Of the
colonists caused the failure. To-day but
two families remain whose ancestors
were among the colonists. Henry Olson
and Henry Anderson. both prosperous
farmers in the little valley and both
among those to enjoy this celebration.
1t matters little that instead OF S,0Of
colonists. only $50 actually came, and
that instead of 125 900 acres of land. only
about 11.0OO were actually purchased by
Ole Bull
Unfortunately for O.eana, q. the height
~ rs seeming prosperity, II was dis
covered that the Phi.ads:phi.ns who had
cold Ole Bull the property o" which
the colony vas locstAt owned none OF
tie great tract OF some $4,000 acres
mostly l1tocatAias. rhe collapse Of this
American MOI VA" WAS. OF course. In
stantaneos. To-day only a fcw crumb
ling walls rsnai1 TO cell tie story OF
Ole Bulls oeuisr be- vanished dream
Ole Bull oesah l.tiS to rsco-.r the
money invested, bu: Il wealthy admirer
StouEhtoE. eminent AZ an attorney II,
Sow YORK. volunteered 20 take the vexa.
tiouH case or his hands. ara thus Mr.
Bull Was n: least saved further loss
Ole Rull. says Fr5f. Rasmus r. .Ander.
son. lcng his intimate. carmel wi:h III,
violin a. much as 500 100 IN a single tour
of America. but wAA lavish spencer
The little girl. Oisa.. i nd Professor Ander-
sons daughter, now Mrs. Ps.er Vedel
% Aarhus. Denmark, visiting IN Madi
son at present were the closest Of iisy,
mates Us ch'icren.-O. d. Beandonburs
, in the Madison Cyisl Democrat: