Polish-American Heritage
in
Buffalo & Erie County
Folk Festival at Artpark c. 1978 c. NFFA/Fish
BACKGROUND
The Polish
influence in Western New York can be traced back to Pieter Stadnitski, one of
the partners of the Holland Land Office Company; the Dutch company which
purchased and brought settlers to the area in the early 19th century. More
specifically, Polish settlers of Jewish heritage began arriving in the area
before 1860, while Catholic Poles began arriving in large numbers soon after.
Between 1873 and 1922, Polish Americans established 34 church parishes in
Greater Buffalo and Western New York.
By 1940, there
were 76,465 Western New Yorkers of Polish stock, and in the 1990's a great
number of people from this area claim to be of some Polish descent. Many of
them still live in the areas of the city that their grandparents and parents
first settled: Broadway-Filmore, Clinton-Bailey, Black Rock and Riverside as
well as Cheektowaga, Depew and Lackawanna.
PLACES TO VISIT
The Polish Community Center, 1081 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14214 (716) 893-7222 is
housed in "Dom Polski," or the Polish Home. The
Home was organized in 1905 to assist Polish immigrants in adapting to their new
country. The PCC currently houses the J.C. Mazur Gallery and offers
occasional film series and literary readings, all open to the public. The PCC
functions as a community-based human services center in a neighborhood that was
once predominantly Polish.
Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Serviceman's Park, 1 Naval Park Cove, Buffalo, NY (716) 847-1773. There is a "Polish Room" located on board the Cruiser Little Rock. The exhibit was created by and features the story of Polish-American veterans in WWII. It also includes displays depicting the Polish Home Army.
Pulaski Monument, S. Division and Main Sts, (adjacent to the Ellicott Square Building). This statue of General Kazimierz Pulaski was presented to the city by the people of Poland in 1976 as a gift during the bicentennial of the USA.
The Chopin Monument, Symphony Circle Richmond and Porter, Buffalo, NY. This monument was created by artist Jozef Mazur in the 1920's. It was originally located in front of the Buffalo Museum of Science but now stands before Kleinhan's Music Hall.
Chopin Club Room, 2155 Old Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY was founded in 1899 by Boleslaus Michalski, it was located on Kosciuszko Street on Buffalo's East Side for over 60 years. It is the location of Jozef Mazur murals, scraffito by Josef Slawinski and wood carvings by Henryk Jarosz. Open to the public for dinners and special programs such as Dyngus Day (a day after Easter tradition), and Christmas "Wigilia" Dinner. Home of internationally known mixed chorus, the Chopin Singing Society.
Holy Mother of the Rosary Polish National Cathedral 6298 Broadway, Lancaster NY 14086 (716-683-7527/685-5767). This church replaces the original Cathedral located at Sobieski and Sycamore where it served the people for 99 years. It is a contemporary structure that evokes the wooden churches of the Goral region. It has incorporated many of the original windows, statues and other furnisihings blended with new carvings and images.
St. Stanislaus RC Church, 123 Townsend St., Buffalo, NY 14212 (716) 854-5511
Founded 1873 by Fr. John Pitass; Oldest Polish-American
Catholic Church in Western New York. As the mother church, this is where
historical events are commemorated and where ecclesiastical and secular
dignitaries meet. Church decorated by Jozef Mazur. Sunday masses in Polish
language, 8 AM & 12 PM (radio mass). The " Polska
Czytelnia," the oldest Polish library in the USA, established in 1889,
which has a collection of over 8,000 Polish books and journals is located in
the "Pitass Center" of the parish..
St. Adalbert's Basilica, 212
Stanislaus St., Buffalo, NY 14212 (716) 894-8366
Founded 1886, it was designated a basilica in 1907. It is
the home parish of artist Jozef Mazur. Polish Language Mass Sunday 9 AM.
St. John Kanty RC Church, 101
Swinburne, Buffalo, NY 14212 (716) 893-0412
Founded 1890; Holds Dozynki (Harvest Festival) and
Christmas concerts. Polish Language Mass Sunday 7:30 AM.
St. Casimir RC Church, 160 Cable St. & Casimir, Buffalo, NY 14206 (716) 824-9589 was founded 1890; excellent example of Byzantine architecture.
Corpus
Christi RC Church, 189
Clark St., Buffalo, NY 14212 (716) 896-1050
Founded 1899; First home of the Polish Franciscan Fathers
(O.F.M. Conventuals) established by Rev. Jacek Fudzinski. The parish holds a
Dozynki (Harvest Festival) in August. Polish language Mass Sunday 7:30
AM & 10:30 AM.
Assumption RC Church, 435
Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14207 (716) 875-7626
Founded in 1888, the Romanesque style church seats 1,600
people and offers a Polish language Mass on Sundays at 10:30 AM. The Church
hosts an annual Polish Carnival in the Spring, which includes films, concerts,
a gourmet dinner, and a carnival dance. The sanctuary is decorated with
scrafitto images from the life of the Virgin Mary done by artist Joseph
Slawinski.
St. Francis Conventual Friary, S-4263 St. Francis Dr., Athol Springs, NY (716) 627-2710
Houses two chapels decorated with scraffito murals of Polish
and Polish-American history by Slawinski and De Rosen, who also did a giant
mosaic at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC. The
Father Justin Rosary Hour heard across the
US and Canada is produced here.
Bridge at Black Rock (over the Niagara River)
Sir Casimir Gzowski built the first international suspension
bridge over the Niagara River.
PLACES TO EAT
Polonia Restaurant, 3071 Abbott Rd., Orchard Park, NY 14127 (716) 828-1410
Polish Villa, 2954 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227 (716) 683-9460
Polish Villa II, 1085 Harlem Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227 (716) 822-4908
Broadway Market, 999 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14212 (716) 656-5788
PLACES TO SHOP
Tradition Travel, 5421
Transit Road, Depew NY 14053 (716) 686-0702
A Polish-American travel agency that sells Polish books and
gifts. Also houses the studio of Polonia Varieties, WHLD.
Ruda's Polkas & Polish Gifts, 2445 William St., Cheektowaga, NY 14206 (716) 892-1401
Sells selection of Polka and other Polish-American ethnic
music and Polish folk art crafts. Source for information about polka happenings
in the local area.
Broadway Market, 999
Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14212, (716) 893-0705. A special place to visit
especially in the two weeks before Easter. Temporary stands sell traditional
eggs, pussy willows and
crafts. For current information see the Market web page
www.broadwaymarket.com.
Polish specialty shops at the Market include:
E & M Bakery - Polish style baked goods from Canada
Wanda & Anna's - Polish
sausages and cheese, meats imported from Chicago
Tombak's Bakery - braided
breads and rolls
Burzynski Imports - specializes in Polish herbs & spices, teas, canned herring,
pierogi, cheese, and Polish chocolate
Malczewski Poultry - the
only homemade butter lambs at the Market at Easter time, homemade
pierogi.
Paul Redlinski & Sons - fresh meats and homemade sausages; family owned & operated for
3 generations
Broadway Market at Easter ã Fish/NFFA
LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS
Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic
Circle,612 Fillmore Ave., Buffalo, NY 14212 (716)
847-0839
The Dramatic Circle was organized and began producing
amateur theatricals in 1895. The library contains over 4,000 volumes and over
400 hand-written scripts for Polish plays. The building serves as a social
center as well.
The Polish Room Lockwood Library, SUNY Buffalo, North Campus, Amherst, NY 14260 (716)636-2815. (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/polish-room/index.html) The Polish Collection was begun in 1955. Current holdings include books, periodicals, newspapers, films and artifacts covering the numerous contributions of the Poles in the humanities, science and US history. Over 9,000 volumes, over 30 video recordings and a small collection of rare books and documents.
Polish Academic Information Center, SUNY Buffalo, North Campus, Amherst NY opened in April 1997. Developed by Piotr Pienkowski, a professor at the Jagellonian University in Krakow, it is a unique inter-university agency of the Jagellonian University and SUNY Buffalo. It will serve as an information clearing house for those interested in pursuing studies related to Poland, its culture and language. More information can be gotten from its web site at http://wings.buffalo.edu /info-poland.
The Fronczak Room, Butler Library, BSC, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY (716) 878-6304.
The collection was donated to Buffalo State College by the
Fronczak Family. The bulk of materials documents Francis Fronczak whose
extensive career included national work with the Polish relief efforts in WWI
& II, and his 35-year tenure as Commissioner of Health in Erie
County.
Villa Maria College, 240 Pine Ridge Rd., Buffalo, NY 14225 (716) 896-0700. A special collection in the college library contains 3,000 volumes in the Polish language, with a focus on literary and historical subjects relating to Poland.
Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, South Park Ave., Hamburg, NY 14075 (716) 649-1205.
The Sisters maintain a Polish Resource Center, which houses
books, journals, records, audio cassettes, play books, and memorabilia relating
to Polish heritage. Most of these are in the Polish language. The focus is on
religion, history, literature, theology and philosophy.
Felician Sisters Archives, Immaculate Heart of Mary Province, 600 Doat St., Cheektowaga, NY 14211 (716) 892-4141. Collection based on the Felician community and its ministries (schools, parishes) in New York, New England, and the Mid-Atlantic States. Four Sisters were editors of the Polish language magazine, Ave Maria. (1924-1984). A Heritage Room of artifacts and documents related to the religious order is open to the public is located in the Provincial Convent Buildig.
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library,
Central Branch Lafayette Sq., Buffalo NY 14203
(716) 858-8900
Local Polish Church records on microfilm, ca. 1874-1982.
Also on microfilm are copies of the Polish newspaper, Dziennik dla Wszystkich,
(Everybody's Daily), 1930-1957.
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Fronczak Branch, 1080 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14212 (716) 892-3941. Collection includes books on Polish Americans in Buffalo; vertical files with materials on local Polish community; scrapbooks; and back issues of the newspapers, Am-Pol Eagle and Polish American Journal.
Traditional Polish Palmowy (Palms)
SPECIAL EVENT
POLISH-AMERICAN ARTS FESTIVAL
Cheektowaga Town Park, Harlem Rd. Cheektowaga NY
The Festival takes place the third weekend in August with food, traditional crafts, workshops & entertainment. Call the Cheektowaga Town Hall for more information: 716-684-0120.
ALSO OF INTEREST
Radio
Shows:
++The oldest and
most popular radio show is on WHLD (1270 AM) (M, Th, Fri.) "Polonia
Varieties" in Polish was a daily program up to 1995.
++ Several local Polka shows are: "The Big Steve Polka Show" on WHLD and WECK (1230AM) with Steve Krzeminski; "Polkamotion" on WXRL (1300AM) with Greg Czwojdak on Sundays; and "Polka Sunday With Friends" on WBFO (88.7 FM) with Jeff Pieczynski on Sundays.
++ The Father Justin Rosary Hour is the oldest Polish language radio program of a religious nature in the US. Founded at Corpus Christi Parish by Father Justin Figas in 1931, it is still transmitted across the US and Canada on WHTT (104 AM) and WHLD.
++ Polish American programming can also be found on WHTT, Saturday & Sunday, WHLD, and WWKB (1570 AM).
++ The Sunday Polish-American Program on WHTT by Stan Jasinski. Broadcasts the Sunday Mass in Polish at noon from St. Stanislaus RC Church followed by four hours of music and news in Polish.
Newspapers and Periodicals
Am-Pol Eagle, 3620 Harlem Rd., Cheektowaga,
NY 14215 (716) 835-9454.
Owner: Renee Harzewski. Founded ca. 1959 by Matt Pelczynski.
Weekly paper focusing on local news, including a comprehensive calendar of
events
Polish
American Journal, 1275 Harlem Rd., Buffalo,
NY 14206 (716) 893-5771.
Editor: Mark Kohan. Founded in Scranton, PA in 1911 the
focus is on national and international news.
Kronika, 337 McKinley Ave., Kenmore NY
14217.
Founded in 1995. Quarterly focusing on news for Poles on the
Niagara Frontier.
Komunikat, S-4098 Bryant St., Blasdell, NY 14219 (716) 822-2910.
Founded by Col. Waldemer Czyz and Stan Biernacik. Focuses on
the First Armored Division Association, Buffalo Post.
PUA Parade, 745 Center Rd., PO Box 288, West Seneca, NY 14224-0288, 677-0220 or 1-800-724-2782
CLUBS
Chopin Singing
Society, 2155 Old Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227
(716) 668-6888.
Organized in 1899, the Chopin Singers have been featured on
radio and television, and appear regularly with local orchestras. They have won
international recognition as a premier mixed voice chorus.
I.J. Paderewski
Singing Society, 327 Sweet Ave., Buffalo, NY
14212
Organized 1939. The Society has placed in several
international competitions and has been heard on radio and television. In
addition to an annual concert, the Society frequently appears at local
religious, patriotic and anniversary celebrations.
Polish Singers Alliance of America, Region IX, 491 Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14207
Quo Vadis Choir, 136 Medina St., Cheektowaga, NY 14206
Villa Maria Choir, 562 Hopkins Rd., Williamsville, NY 14221
St. Hyacinth's Men's Choir, was founded in 1946 at a Lackawanna parish of the same name. The Choir averages about 50 performances annually at various church, social events & have also produced an album.
Polish Arts Club, 4712 Brentwood Dr. Williamsville, NY 14221
Polish Genealogical Society
of New York State
, 299 Barnard St., Buffalo, NY
14206
Founded in 1988 to promote the study of Polish family
history. Monthly meetings held at Villa Maria College, the 2nd Thursday of each
month, 7 PM. For more information see the web site at:
http://www.pgsnys.org
Kalina Singing
Society,
1279 French Rd., Depew, NY 14043
Organized in 1901 under the auspices of the Polish Singing
Circle, it is a female chorus that has won many competitions and participates
in many festivals and benefits in and outside the region.
DISTINGUISHED POLISH-AMERICANS
Jozef Mazur (1897-1970), was born in a Galician family in 1897. He studied at the Albright Art School in Buffalo and at the New York Art Institute. Mazur worked in a variety of media. His stained glass works can be found in churches in Philadelphia, New York City and Buffalo. Before he became 30, Mazur distinguished himself as an ecclesiastical painter in this area. His first commission was the complete decoration of St. Stanislaus Church in Buffalo. His works can also be found in St. Adalbert's, Blessed Trinity, the Polish National Cathedral, St. John Gualbert's, and Villa Maria Academy, Holy Trinity in Niagara Falls, and St. Aloysius in Springville. Mazur also painted churches in Rochester, NY, Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, Adams, MA, New Haven, CT, and Trenton and Perth Amboy in New Jersey. Mazur's secular works include the sculpted bust of Frederick Chopin (see Places to Visit), a life-size portrait of Kazimierz Pulaski in Olean, and interior decoration at the UB Main Street Campus.
Other famous Polish-American artists are sculptor Louis Dlugosz of Lackawanna, Joseph Bakos, a painter of western landscapes, Joseph Slawinski, scrafitto artist and sculptor, Marion M. Rzeznik, an ecclesiastical painter of numerous WNY churches, and architect Joseph E. Fronczak.
IMPORTANT EVENTS IN BUFFALO'S POLISH HERITAGE
1. Buffalo was the founding city of the Polish American Congress in 1944.
2. Buffalo is the home of the national fraternal Polish Union of America founded in 1890.
3. Seat of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Lancaster NY (see places to visit)
4. Buffalo is sister city to Rzeszow, Poland.
5. The Catholic League for Religious Assistance to Poland was founded in Buffalo in 1943.
6. The Polish Baptist Church movement originated in Buffalo with the founding of the Church of Our Savior in 1894.
7. Buffalo has elected 4 Polish mayors: Joseph Mruk, Stephen Pankow, Chester Kowal, & Stanley Makowski.
8. Buffalo has the oldest and largest religious radio network in the Polish language.
9. The Roman Catholic Diocese observed Poland's Millenium
of Christianity in 1966.
CONTRIBUTORS
Michael Drabik
Pat Monaghan
Antoinette Mucilli
Nancy Piatkowski
Wanda Slawinska
JUNE 1999
This HERITAGE SHEET is one of a series prepared by the DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE PROGRAM. The DHP was established by law in 1988. It is a statewide program designed to locate, organize and make available the state's historical records which are critical to ensuring the survival of New York's heritage. The DHP is administered by the New York State Archives and Records Administration, State Education Department. It consists of regional services provided throughout the nine Reference and Research Library Resource Systems and a statewide competitive grant. The Regional Archivist for this area serves Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, and Orleans Counties. The Documentary Heritage Program is administered in Western New York by the WNY Library Resources Council. Other "Heritage Sheets" available from the DHP: African-American; Hispanic/Latino-American; Irish-American and Italian-American (available in the near future).
For more information or if you have suggestions for additions to this sheet write the DHP at 4445 Genesee St. PO Box 400, Buffalo NY 14225 or call: (716) 633-0705 x14.
photographs courtesy the
Niagara Frontier Folklore Archives
c/o Department of Anthropology
Buffalo State College
1300 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo NY 14222