COLLECTING POLONIA’S HISTORICAL FOOTPRINTS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
The Polish American Historical Association recently launched a new and important initiative to collect information on Polish American historical sites. The results will be published as a book titled Guide to Polish American Historical Sites in North America. This new volume will update and expand the 1992 edition titled Polish Heritage Travel Guide.
As we well know, Polish immigrants and their descendants made innumerable contributions in their communities and left their visible marks in the American landscape in the form of monuments, bridges, churches, cultural centers, cemeteries, etc. Before these identifiers disappear, it is vital to create a guide to interesting and informative sites to showcase Polish American contributions as a guidebook for Polonia as well as a general introduction to the important contributions of Polish immigrants.
Volunteers throughout the country are helping to identify Polish related historical objects of interest by writing a short statement (200 words or less) about the monument, building, artifact, or historical landmarks such as churches, squares, and other historical markers. The write-ups also include a photograph.
We still have a several states, mainly western and southern, needing write-ups. I welcome assistance from both individuals and from local Polish American organizations in collecting the information and photos of your state. You don’t want your state to be left out! The names of volunteers will be included in the future book planned for mid-2020. If you live or have contacts in the following states, please contact me asap: Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
If you wish to help make this book inclusive of all states, please contact me. I am happy to provide further details and can be easily reached via email at ewabarczykpaha@gmail.comor on my cell phone 414-412-6456.
Ewa Barczyk, editor
Editorial Review Committee:
Advisory Board: John J. Bukowczyk, Mary P. Erdmans, Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, Czesław Karkowski, Anna Muller, James S. Pula, Pien Versteegh