Victoria Granacki, author of "Chicago's Polish Downtown" will be the speaker at the Aug. 14 meeting of the Polish Genealogical Society of America(PGSA).
"Polish Downtown" is Chicago's oldest Polish settlement and was the capital of American Polonia from the 1870s through the first half of the 20th century. Nearly all Polish undertakings of any consequence in the U. S. either started or were directed from this part of the near northwest side. The headquarters for nearly every major Polish organization were clustered within blocks of each other and four Polish-language daily newspapers were published here. The book illustrates the first 75 years of this neighborhood and features photographs from the extensive library and archives of the Polish Museum of America, still located in that area. Featured are some of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance and Baroque Revival churches in Chicago — St. Stanislaus Kostka, Holy Trinity and
St. John Cantius.
Ms. Granacki grew up Polish Catholic in Chicago and her Polish-born grandparents instilled in her a love of her heritage. She is a principal with Granacki Historic Consultants and has written many architectural and community histories of Chicago and its suburbs.
The meeting will take place Sunday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. at the Polish Museum of America, 984 N. Milwaukee Ave. All meetings are free and open to the public. The PGSA, based in Chicago and founded in 1978, holds several meetings throughout the year and an annual genealogy conference in the fall. This year's conference will be held at the Schaumburg Marriott Hotel Sept. 16 - 18. For more information, please visit www.pgsa.org or call (774) 774-2589. |
