Tadeusz Kosciuszko - Polish American Museum

The Polish American Museum is located at 16 Belleview Avenue in

Port Washington, New York Port Washington is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the Cow Neck Peninsula in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead, in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), No ...

, USA. It was founded on January 20, 1977. It features displays of folk art, costumes, historical artifacts and paintings, as well as bilingual research library with particular focus on achievements of the people of Polish heritage in America.''Smithsonian'' magazine
Polish American Museum
at Smithsonian.comJames Barron, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''
If you're thinking of living in: Port Washington
Published: August 8, 1982 Nearly everything in the museum, which is housed at the old Port Washington library, was donated by members of the community: from the war memorabilia, army uniforms, Polish medals and weapons, to the books about Poland in both English and Polish. Barbara Szydlowski, president of the museum, remarked that many Polish immigrants made their way to Nassau County about a century ago to work in North Shore estates, but their descendants are dispersed. "We're trying to do more on the history of Poles on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

," she said, "but it's very hard because the population is so scattered."Vivian S. Toy, ''New York Times''
The Island's Attics, With Plenty of Quirks
May 21, 2006 The Museum puts a strong emphasis on famous people of Polish ancestry with a portrait of Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

displayed prominently along with that of

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko ( be, Andréj Tadévuš Banavientúra Kasciúška, en, Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciuszko; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, an ...

wearing the

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of the

American Revolutionary Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establish ...

, and

Kazimierz Pułaski Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of the Ślepowron coat of arms (; ''Casimir Pulaski'' ; March 4 or March 6, 1745 Makarewicz, 1998 October 11, 1779) was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called, tog ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Commander of the Cavalry under

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. Polish American Museum Exhibits
Homepage, Port Washington, NY There is a room dedicated to Polish

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

laureates including

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

and

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democratica ...

. In the music room there are plaster replicas of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

's death mask and of his left hand, brought in from

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

by a museum member. One of the most poignant items on display is the blue-and-white striped jacket of a concentration-camp inmate, a Polish prisoner who was held by the Germans in World War II, donated by a patron who survived as many as seven different camps in 1944–1945, which is now a part of the Holocaust exhibit. One annex of the museum, that has been receiving visitor accolades is the CMS Annex. The CMS (Center for Military Studies Annex) features the military stories of Poles and Polish Americans that took part in the many wars and campaigns that shaped both US and Polish history. Among the featured exhibits is Long Island's own Frank Gabreski the top U.S. ace in the European Theater during WW2. The current director is Gerald Kochan.

Museum archives

Kazimierz Pułaski at the Polish American Museum

Archival holdings of the Museum include artifacts related to the history of Poland and Polish American community such as the extensive Henry Archacki Archive,Edward Pinkowski
Death of Henry Archacki
from: ''The Post Eagle'', Vol. 36, No. 34, Aug. 26, 1998 and the collection of Polish-American art (ca. 1900–1990). Research materials concerning Polish history and culture include records of Polish American participation in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, historical writings and notes, photographs, personal letters, audio and video tapes, clippings, newsletters, directories and certificates. Materials about Polish-American organizations feature documents from

Polish National Alliance The Polish National Alliance ( pol. ''Związek Narodowy Polski'', PNA) is the largest and one of the oldest Polish fraternal organizations in the United States. The original goal was to mobilize support among Polish Americans for the liberatio ...

Polish Roman Catholic Union of America The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America ("PRCUA") (pol. ''Zjednoczenie Polskie Rzymsko-Katolickie w Ameryce'') is the oldest Polish American organization in the United States. Currently licensed to sell its products in 27 states, it is a frat ...

Polish Falcons of America The Polish Falcons of America ( pl, Sokoły Polskie Ameryki) is a nonprofit fraternal benefit society, with a strong emphasis on physical fitness. History The "falcon" movement originated after the suppression of the Polish uprising of 1863. It ...

, and information on Polish press published in the United States, not to mention the correspondence between many Polish-American writers, painters, sculptors, photographers, historians, and military officers. Quantity: ca. . Museum holdings include also old maps, as well as the library and the collection of artifacts from the

Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA) is a Polish-American scholarly institution headquartered in Manhattan (New York City), at 208 East 30th Street. History The Institute was founded during the height of World War II, in 1 ...

about the lives of people of Polish heritage. Polish-American Museum in Port Washington, NY
at Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America Original photographic and lithographic displays, at the reading room, are held during special events throughout the year. Polish American Museum
at Long Island Minute By Minute - Newsday.com The Polish American Museum is a unique educational resource designed to familiarize its visitors with the culture and folk heritage of the Polish people. It aspires to illustrate the contributions of people of Polish heritage not only to America, but also to humanity.

References

External links

Polish American Museum - Website
{{coord, 40, 49, 45.44, N, 73, 41, 23.56, W, display=title Polish-American culture in New York (state) Ethnic museums in New York (state) Historic house museums in New York (state) Museums in Nassau County, New York Long Island Sound Museums established in 1977 1977 establishments in New York (state) Polish-American museums

Museum archives

See also

References

Related reading

External links