<i>Footprints of Polonia</i>: Ready for the Road Trips

Picking up this book and thumbing through its pages, one's first impression is its vibrant colors and numerous photographs. The temptation is to stop at any page and just start reading. The numerous entries are brief, primarily only a paragraph, but full of clearly written and interesting facts about Polish historic sites all over North America.As noted in editor Ewa Barczyk's preface, it became evident to the Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) that an update to the Polish Heritage Travel Guide to the U.S.A. (1992) had become due. Many historic Polish communities have changed and new ones have come about. Whereas the previous edition included monuments, churches, cemeteries, museums, community centers, and other physical sites in twenty-six states, this edition has expanded to forty-seven states, the District of Columbia, eight Canadian provinces, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Nevertheless, it still is not fully comprehensive because that would take a large encyclopedia. Selections had to be made. For example, there are hundreds of Polish churches worthy of note.Listed on a contributors page are 200 volunteers from Polish organizations who helped identify important sites and write informative summaries plus dozens of organizations that provided historic photographs. Also acknowledged are several readers, rewriters, photographers and editors. Many entries have been limited to approximately 200 words.Other introductory pieces include a preface by the president of PAHA, Neil Pease, the prologue to the first edition by Stanislaus A. Blejwas, and a prologue to the second edition by Anna. D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann. Both provide historical overviews of the rise and development of Polonia, the Polish community in America.States and provinces are presented in alphabetical order, as are the communities within them that have Polish-related sites, some created by Polish immigrants or their descendants, others by public recognition of the contributions of famous Poles to American freedom. Most obvious among the latter are Thaddeus (Tadeusz) Kosciuszko and Casimir (Kazimierz) Pulaski for their roles in the Revolutionary War for American Independence. Examples include Pulaski counties in several states. Other personages, not surprisingly, include Pope John Paul II, Paderewski, and Copernicus.Some sites are not particularly Polish in themselves but are famous works by Polish or Polish-American artists, architects, engineers, or sculptors. Mieczyslaw Bekker designed the Lunar Roving Vehicle, the “moon buggy” (Washington, DC). Jerzy Szeptycki designed over twenty-five churches in California in addition to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doyleston, Pennsylvania. Jan de Rosen created murals and altar panels in Grace Cathedral (Episcopal) in San Francisco and in the Washington National Cathedral (Episcopal) in Washington, DC, as well as mosaics in the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle (Roman Catholic), likewise in Washington. Ralph Modjeski, son of actress Helena Modjeski (Modrzejewski), built more than forty bridges nationwide including the Trans-Bay Oakland-San Francisco Bridge, the Huey P. Long Bridge (New Orleans), and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (Philadelphia). Magdalena Abakanowicz created the sculptures Birds of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Milwaukee and Open Air Aquarium in Philadelphia. A state-of-the-art solar telescope, funded by Polish organizations in Winnipeg, was installed in the Manitoba Museum and Planetorium to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicholas Copernicus.Paderewski's heart is in an urn by sculptor Andrzej Pitynski, who also created in stainless steel the kneeling winged knight in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where many Polish World War II veterans are buried. Andrzej Florczak designed several stained glass windows in Our Lady Queen of Peace church (Roman Catholic) in Calgary, Alberta, depicting Polish winged hussars, Maximillian Kolbe, Poland's Black Madonna, and scenes of Warsaw.While many sites and individuals are quite clearly identifiable as Polish, some may come as a surprise. In La Porte, Texas, stands the tallest stone monument in the world. The monument and the river are named San Jacinto. A number of Poles fought in the 1836 battle there with Gen. Sam Houston. One of them, Lt. Col. Felix Wardzinski, is credited with capturing Mexican general Santa Anna. Not many may realize that San Jacinto is the Spanish version of the Polish saint Jacek Odrowaz, who is also known as St. Hyacinth, for whom some American churches are named.A village of Polish descendants reside in Cazale, Haiti, dating back more than 200 years. When Black slaves rose up to win independence from France, Napoleon sent troops, including 5,000 Polish Legionnaires, to defeat them. Some of the Polish soldiers joined the Haitian fight for freedom. Later, they were granted Haitian citizenship and land. Their descendants are proud of their Polish heritage. Not long ago, young Cazalians performed popular Polish songs and dances. In the Cazale cemetery, the names are mostly Polish.Some sites are not marked in paint, stone, or steel but in recurring events that go on year after year. Among these are festivals and parades. Examples include the Polish Constitution Day (May 3, 1791) Parade in Chicago and the Pulaski Day Parade in New York. Others are for fun and food. For example, the Sweetest Heart of Mary Pierogi Festival in Detroit and the Zabawa Polish Festival at Holy Trinity Church in Erie, Pennsylvania.Other categories include libraries and archives, museums, National Register of Historic Places sites, parks, planetariums and observatories, historic Polish districts in towns and so much more. The sampling in this book just suggests how many sites of Polish interest, large and small, famous or humble, there are in North America. Many real treasures are not noted in this volume. For example, the oldest and largest stained glass window in the United States portraying the figure of Abraham Lincoln is in St. Stanislaus Cathedral (Polish National Catholic) in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Future plans include the development of an interactive online site with maps, photos, and pinned locations. A substantial database has already been created.Readers may happily plan armchair adventures and road trips.

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