The Polish Center of Discovery & Learning
JOURNEY TO AMERICA
How Chicopee Became Home
Chicopee has long been recognized as a primary stop for Polish immigrants coming to America. There are a few myths surrounding the reasons why they were drawn here. But the truth is, there were many friends, relatives, and job opportunities that attracted them to this city, the Connecticut River Valley, and communities throughout Central and Western Massachusetts. They arrived with their “papers” or contracts to begin work as laborers in local mills or the farm fields of the region. Many of these documents are on display in the museum.
In a November 1937 national broadcast, the legendary radio news commentator Walter Winchell remarked that the notoriously fierce political scene in Chicago could take lessons from Chicopee, Massachusetts. He made the offhand comment while reporting on the politics of nationality, cementing Chicopee's local reputation as "Little Chicago" and fostering the lore that has surrounded this community for many decades.
PRESERVING POLISH HERITAGE
From Vision to Legacy
LATE 1990s
A Vision at Elms College
Sr. Kathleen Keating, SSJ and Stanislaw Ryszard “Stas” Radosz helped shape a vision for a center dedicated to Polish history, culture, and contributions in New England.
MARCH 1998
Inspiration Strikes
A snowstorm did not stop more than 700 people from attending a documentary premiere about Irish immigrants, revealing a strong local desire to reconnect with cultural roots.
FEBRUARY 11, 1999
The Center Is Approved
The Polish Center of Discovery and Learning was officially recognized and approved by Sr. Kathleen Keating and Dr. John Freed, Academic Dean.
JUNE 3, 2000
Official Opening
After renovations were completed, the Center celebrated its ribbon-cutting. Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos declared the date “Polish Center of Discovery and Learning Day.”
2000-2004
Collections Grow
Classes, programs, exhibits, gifts, and donations quickly expanded as the local Polish community embraced the Center and its mission.
MAY 2005
Official Opening
The Center received the keys to an 18-room, 130-year-old former rectory one block from Elms College and began transforming it into its new home.
TODAY
A Community Legacy
Renovated with donated labor and materials from the local community, the building now serves as a Polish American museum and cultural center honoring the generations who preserved this heritage.
MUSEUM, ARCHIVE & CULTURAL HUB
Founded 1998
The Polish Center, founded in 1998, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational resource center and ethnographic museum bringing to life the history of a culture seldom examined in textbooks or the media. Its galleries and exhibits depict the Polish immigrants’ journey to America, their creation of businesses and tightly-knit communities, their folk art, traditional dress, military history and much more. A full-sized country cottage from the early 20th century, completely and authentically furnished with objects acquired in Poland, gives visitors a glimpse into the life many emigrants were leaving behind.
The Center also functions as a research facility, attracting national and international scholars, educators and students seeking information about the history of the Polish people in the United States and their contributions to the arts, sciences and economy of their newly-adopted country.