Polish Museum of America facts for kids

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Polish Museum of America

Established	1935
Location	984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago Chicago, Illinois 60622 United States

The Polish Museum of America is a special place in West Town, Chicago. It's located in what used to be a historic Polish neighborhood. This museum is full of amazing Polish items, like art, old clothes, and folk costumes. It started in 1935, making it one of the oldest museums in the United States that celebrates a specific ethnic group. It's also part of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, which is a group of 25 museums and cultural centers in Chicago.

Every year, the museum creates new exhibits and publishes books about them in two languages. It also hosts many public events, often working with other museums and schools. The museum helps people learn about Polish history and culture. It does this by showing Polish and Polish American art, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints by famous artists. Besides exhibits, the museum also has cultural programs like talks, movies, theater shows, and meetings with people who love Polish Culture from all over the world.

The museum is also a key spot for celebrating Casimir Pulaski Day. On this day, city and state leaders gather here to honor Chicago's Polish Community.

History of the Polish Museum

After a big fire in 1931 destroyed the Polish Library and National Museum at Alliance College, important people in the Polish-American community wanted a new place in the United States. They wanted a museum that could share Polish culture and history. They also wanted it to show how much Polish people had contributed to North America.

So, the Polish Museum of America was created in 1935. It was first called the "Museum and Archives of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America". Miecislaus Haiman was the first person in charge of its collections and library. The museum officially opened its doors to visitors on January 12, 1937.

The Museum Building

The Polish Museum of America is inside the main building of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. A famous Polish-American architect named John S. Flizikowski designed the building. Construction started in July 1912. The building is made of special bricks and has a Classical Revival style. Later, Art Deco decorations were added, inspired by Polish folk art. This building is considered very important for its architecture and history in Chicago.

Explore the Museum's Collections

Polish Museum of America and Polish Roman Catholic Union signs visible from the Kennedy Expressway.

The museum has many interesting permanent exhibits for you to explore.

Entry Hall Art

The stairwell in the Entry Hall is decorated with art by Polish and Polish American artists. These artworks often include posters about helping Poland during wars, like those by Wladyslaw Benda.

Stephen and Elizabeth Ann Kusmierczak Art Gallery

The art gallery on the third floor was closed for about five years but reopened on November 5, 2011. It's now called the Stephen and Elizabeth Ann Kusmierczak Art Gallery. Here, you can see many paintings and sculptures by some of Poland's best and most famous artists. A lot of this art was shown at the New York World's Fair in 1939. After Poland was invaded in September 1939, the Polish Roman Catholic Union bought and saved these artworks, bringing them to Chicago.

Polish Folk Costumes

The Folk Costumes exhibit shows beautiful Polish folk costumes from different parts of Poland. Each region has its own unique style!

Traditional Folk Crafts

The Folk Crafts displays feature a collection of old, traditional Polish folk crafts. This special collection includes pottery, metal items, and decorative wood carvings from the 1800s and 1900s. The museum also has an amazing collection of pisanki (Polish Easter eggs).

Tadeusz Kościuszko Collection

The Tadeusz Kościuszko Collection has 73 handwritten letters, medals, sketches, and other items related to Tadeusz Kościuszko. This includes plans for the Battle of Saratoga.

Maritime Room

The Maritime room has model ships and other items that tell the story of Poland's navy and sea history during the time between World War I and World War II.

Military Collection

The Military collection shows uniforms, medals, and other materials. These items highlight how Poles and Polish Americans took part in wars and conflicts both in the United States and abroad during the 1800s and 1900s.

Helena Modjeska Exhibit

The Helena Modjeska exhibit is a collection of theater costumes, posters, and other items related to the famous Polish-American Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska. These items were given to the museum by Chicago journalist Anthony Czarnecki in 1947.

Paderewski Room

The Paderewski Room is a special part of the museum that focuses on the life of the composer and Polish leader Ignacy Jan Paderewski. It has the largest collection of Paderewski items in the world. You can see the pen he used to sign the Treaty of Versailles, a Steinway piano made just for him, and furniture from his apartment in New York City where he lived his last two years.

Panna Maria Exhibits

The Panna Maria exhibits show objects and items from the oldest Polish settlement in the United States, in Panna Maria, Texas. This includes the original stations of the cross from the very first church built by Poles in North America.

Pope John Paul II Collection

The Pope John Paul II collection displays objects and items related to Pope John Paul II. The exhibit especially focuses on his official visit to Chicago as Pope in 1979.

Casimir Pulaski Collection

The Casimir Pulaski collection has letters and items related to General Casimir Pulaski.

Other Notable Exhibits

You can also find exhibits on Stained Glass, paintings by Kossak and de Rosen, and a fun Model train collection.

Some of the museum's most valuable items include a sleigh that was a gift from the Polish King Stanislaus Leszczynski to his daughter. There are also sculptures by the famous artist Stanislav Szukalski, and original drawings by Count Thaddeus von Zukotynski. You can see exhibits from the Polish Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and even a bas relief carved in salt from the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

The museum also has a painting called "Pulaski at Savannah" by Stanisław Kaczor Batowski. This painting won first place at the Century of Progress Fair in 1933. After the fair, the painting was shown at The Art Institute of Chicago. Eleanor Roosevelt herself unveiled it on July 10, 1934. It was on display until the Polish Women's Alliance bought it for the museum in 1939. Another important painting is a very rare portrait of Edward Kozłowski. He was the first Polish priest to become a Bishop of Milwaukee in 1914, and the second Polish bishop in American Catholic Church history.

Library and Archives

The library and archives at The Polish Museum of America opened at the same time as the museum. They help the museum staff, visiting researchers, students, and anyone interested in Polish and Polish-American history. The archives have many paintings, documents, coins, and items related to the history of Poland and Polish people living outside Poland (Polonia). Their collections are huge, from 730 books about Polish Roman Catholic parishes to records of volunteers for the Polish Army in France. The library's collections are very important for the museum's research, creating new exhibits, and educational programs.

Stories of the Museum

One of the most visited rooms is the Ignace Paderewski Room. It was started around June 1941 with generous gifts from his sister, Antonina Paderewski Wilkonska. The room also has items from the Buckingham Hotel in New York City, where Paderewski spent his last months. The room officially opened to the public on November 3, 1941.

Some people believe that the museum, especially the Paderewski Room, might have some unusual happenings. Staff members have shared stories about strange events, and the cleaning crew has also mentioned odd experiences late at night. The Ghost Research Society even visited the museum to look into these claims.

For example, the museum's Operations Manager, Rich Kujawa, places flowers on the fireplace mantel in the Paderewski Room on Paderewski's birthday (November 6) and the day he died (June 29). Rich has noticed that the flowers from November 6 stay fresh and fragrant for a long time, but those from June 29 quickly lose their scent and die. He also remembers a time when a cassette tape in the room started playing Paderewski's Minuet by itself during a school tour, and then stopped just as mysteriously.

Also, two former museum volunteers said they would sometimes hear the sound of typing while working in the Paderewski Room. Paderewski's typewriter is on display in that room. Some think these might be the actions of a playful but harmless spirit, as Paderewski was known for being a practical joker. Another staff member, Helena Glinczak, has also felt a "presence" in the room but has learned to live with it. Other people have smelled things like burning or food cooking on the first floor when there was no clear reason for the smells.