4/6/97--Ed Queen Christina Before William Penn and his English colonists arrived in the Delaware Valley in 1682, and before the Dutch established their forts and tiny settlements as part of New Netherlands, the Swedes had founded New Sweden, with outposts at Swedesboro in what is now South Jersey and Christiana in what is now Delaware, among other spots. The section of Philadelphia called Queen Village was another of these Swedish settlements. It was named for the Swedish queen of the day, Christina. The only surviving structure is Old Swedes/Gloria Dei Episcopal Church, at 916 South Swanson St.. Queen Christina (1626-1689) is the most notorious crossdresser and woman-loving woman of the 17th century. She habitually wore men's clothes, and intimate connection with Belle Sparre, her lady-in-waiting since they were both 19 years old, caused tongues to cluck. Some of you may have seen Greta Garbo's film Queen Christina. Bibliography Michael J. Tyrkus, editor, Gay & Lesbian Biography (Detroit: St. James Press, 1997).

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