Description

Located on the western edge of Lake Erie and at the mouth of the Maumee River, Toledo developed rapidly as a port and industrial and transportation center in the 19th and 20th centuries. Beginning in the early 1870s, Polish immigrants were found among the German settlers. By 1882, there were two Polish parishes established in two distinct Polish neighborhoods (Lagrinka in North Toledo and Kuszwanc in South Toledo) that continued to grow and expand through the mid-20th century. Toledo’s Polish community was numbered among the 10 largest in the country and was home to the Paryski Publishing Company, which printed more than three million books in the Polish language. This nook illustrates how people lived, worshiped, socialized, celebrated life, and maintained their ethnic heritage while also becoming patriotic Americans.

Rev. Richard Philiposki, a priest of the Society for Christ for Polonia, is the grandson of Polish immigrants on both sides of his family. He has lived and studied in Poland and has a great interest in ethnic and urban history and geography. He is currently pastor of the twinned St. Adalbert and St. Hedwig Parishes in Toledo. The Toledo Polish Genealogical Society eagerly embraced this book project and assisted in preparing this work.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.