Restauration was a sloop built in 1801 in Hardanger, Norway. It became a symbol of Norwegian American immigration. On July 5, 1825, Restauration set sail from Stavanger with 52 people aboard, many of them Norwegian Quakers, on what is considered the first organized emigration from Norway to the United States. This group, led by Cleng Peerson, landed in New York City on October 9, 1825 after a three-month voyage, and moved onward to their first settlement, in Kendall, Orleans County, New York. The people who made this voyage are sometimes referred to as the Sloopers.
In honor of the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of this event, in 1975 Cleng Peerson and a portion of an America letter were depicted on a Norwegian NK 1.40 postage stamp. The sloop Restauration (also spelled Restoration) was featured on a United States postage stamp honoring the centennial in 1925.
Historical sources may contain several variations on the name of the sloop, including Restauration, Restoration, Restaurasjonen, and Restorasjon. The date of Leif Erikson Day in the United States was chosen to coincide with the day the Restauration arrived in New York Harbor: October 9.
