Near the beginning of the twentieth century, thousands of Polish immigrants embarked upon the American Dream in Worcester as the city's lowest-paid mill workers. Slowly, they carved out their own "Polonia," with Millbury Street as the center. By the 1920s, Worcester's Polish community had built a parish with the largest parochial school in the county, established several civic associations, and become an influential group in the city's economy and ethnic composition. The Polish Community of Worcester celebrates the resilient and patriotic spirit of Worcester's Polonia from 1870 through 1970, with rare photographs from private collections and family albums.
Polish settlement in Worcester County had humble beginnings: a small group of German Poles in the 1870s. Over the next decades, thousands of Russian and Austrian Poles, fleeing economic and political hardship, pinned their hopes for a better life on jobs in the burgeoning industries of central Massachusetts. Practicing their religion in their native tongue was vital to these devout Catholics. New Englands first Polish parish was founded in Webster, with others following in Worcester, Gardner, West Warren, Clinton, Southbridge, and Dudley. Polish clubs served as central gathering places in Gilbertville, Uxbridge, and South Grafton. Worcester Countys Polish Americans share an intricate web of relationshipsfamily, religious, business, social, cultural, educational, political, and athleticthat celebrates their heritage and sustains them today as one of the regions largest ethnic groups.
Factory jobs in "the Hardware City of the World" began attracting Polish immigrants to New Britain in the 1890s. The Poles soon became the city's largest ethnic group, centering their family, business, social, cultural, and spiritual life on Broad Street. Their Polonia was unparalleled in New England. Three parishes and dozens of organizations shared a strong commitment to Polish education, military service, political representation, and "Dozynki" and "Dzien Zaduszny" traditions. Continuing waves of immigration contributed to Polonia's ceaseless self-renewal. The Polish Community of New Britain celebrates this magnetic vitality and cultural continuity with rare photographs drawn from family albums and local archives.
Near the beginning of the twentieth century, thousands of Polish immigrants embarked upon the American Dream in Worcester as the city's lowest-paid mill workers. Slowly, they carved out their own "Polonia," with Millbury Street as the center. By the 1920s, Worcester's Polish community had built a parish with the largest parochial school in the county, established several civic associations, and become an influential group in the city's economy and ethnic composition. The Polish Community of Worcester celebrates the resilient and patriotic spirit of Worcester's Polonia from 1870 through 1970, with rare photographs from private collections and family albums.
Factory jobs in “the Hardware City of the World” began attracting Polish immigrants to New Britain in the 1890s. The Poles soon became the city’s largest ethnic group, centering their family, business, social, cultural, and spiritual life on Broad Street. Their Polonia was unparalleled in New England. Three parishes and dozens of organizations shared a strong commitment to Polish education, military service, political representation, and “Dozynki” and “Dzien Zaduszny” traditions. Continuing waves of immigration contributed to Polonia’s ceaseless self-renewal. The Polish Community of New Britain celebrates this magnetic vitality and cultural continuity with rare photographs drawn from family albums and local archives.
Near the beginning of the twentieth century, thousands of Polish immigrants embarked upon the American Dream in Worcester as the city's lowest-paid mill workers. Slowly, they carved out their own "Polonia," with Millbury Street as the center. By the 1920s, Worcester's Polish community had built a parish with the largest parochial school in the county, established several civic associations, and become an influential group in the city's economy and ethnic composition. The Polish Community of Worcester celebrates the resilient and patriotic spirit of Worcester's Polonia from 1870 through 1970, with rare photographs from private collections and family albums.
Polish settlement in Worcester County had humble beginnings: a small group of German Poles in the 1870s. Over the next decades, thousands of Russian and Austrian Poles, fleeing economic and political hardship, pinned their hopes for a better life on jobs in the burgeoning industries of central Massachusetts. Practicing their religion in their native tongue was vital to these devout Catholics. New Englands first Polish parish was founded in Webster, with others following in Worcester, Gardner, West Warren, Clinton, Southbridge, and Dudley. Polish clubs served as central gathering places in Gilbertville, Uxbridge, and South Grafton. Worcester Countys Polish Americans share an intricate web of relationshipsfamily, religious, business, social, cultural, educational, political, and athleticthat celebrates their heritage and sustains them today as one of the regions largest ethnic groups.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.