The Polish Museum of America is one of the oldest ethnic museums in…you guessed it…AMERICA! In honor of Casimir Pulaski Day, a holiday that only appears to be celebrated in Chicago, (even though Wisconsin supposedly gets some action on this day too) I bring you this Polack museum. I’ve been here a few times over the years, once to specifically research some documents about my Polish relatives. It’s a place time has forgotten, but it’s still interesting if you’re a Polack and like weird, dusty mannequins (exhibit A). And it’s always good to support small, local museums. The museum is located in the same building as the Polish Roman Catholic Union, open since 1873. This area of the city used to be known as the “Polish downtown”, my relatives settled here when they first emigrated to the U.S.
The painting, from the 1930’s Century of Progress Fair, shows Pulaski fighting in the Battle of Savannah during the Revolutionary War. Not soon after he died from battle wounds. Kazimierz Pułaski (gonna write it the Polack way) was important for many reasons: he saved George Washington’s life, founded the American cavalry and is one of only a few foreigners to get honorary U.S. citizenship. Okay…I’m done. Now time for some dumb Polish jokes.
