In preparation for the Hatfield Historical Museum’s spring exhibit on Polish Immigration in Hatfield, yesterday I visited the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning at Elms College in Chicopee (Mass.), along with fellow Historical Society member and Polish Center volunteer Linda Golash. There we were given a VIP tour by the Center’s charming executive director, Stas Radosz (at left). The center is now housed in a beautifully renovated 18-room mansard roof house from the mid-19th century that used to serve as a church rectory. (Prior to the extensive renovation and fundraising campaign, the Center was housed on the third floor of Berchmans Hall on the Elms College campus.)
Though neither their renovation work nor their fundraising is done, you wouldn’t know it to tour the facility. It is gorgeous (see custom-made chandelier in the foyer, created for the museum and donated by a local artist), and each room has been thoughtfully designed and filled with artifacts and records from the lives of Polish Americans, including Poles coming to America and bringing with them pieces of home.
Home, I learned from Stas and from the exhibits, happened to be other countries during the time of the first wave of Polish emigration to this area (1904-1912), as “Poland” at that time had been carved into three “Partitions” and was ruled, variously, by Russia, Prussia (Germany) and Austria. Poland didn’t gain her independence back until 1918.
Besides its galleries and the research facilities it holds, the center also hosts lectures, concerts, films, workshops and more (including a vodka tasting that had taken place the night before) – all focused on presenting the history and cultural traditions of the Polish people in the United States and Europe. You can even hire out the center to hold a private event. I've included some of my favorite artifacts below. Check them out and check out the Polish Center! Just 25-30 minutes from Hatfield, a few turns off Rt. 91 and you're there!
Home, I learned from Stas and from the exhibits, happened to be other countries during the time of the first wave of Polish emigration to this area (1904-1912), as “Poland” at that time had been carved into three “Partitions” and was ruled, variously, by Russia, Prussia (Germany) and Austria. Poland didn’t gain her independence back until 1918.
Besides its galleries and the research facilities it holds, the center also hosts lectures, concerts, films, workshops and more (including a vodka tasting that had taken place the night before) – all focused on presenting the history and cultural traditions of the Polish people in the United States and Europe. You can even hire out the center to hold a private event. I've included some of my favorite artifacts below. Check them out and check out the Polish Center! Just 25-30 minutes from Hatfield, a few turns off Rt. 91 and you're there!