The Polish American Museum is located at 16 Belleview Avenue in Port Washington, New York, USA. It was founded on January 20, 1977, at the Polish American Citizen's Association, 5 Pulaski Place, Port Washington, and was granted a charter on September 30, 1977, by the New York State Department of Education, Regents division. The current director is Gerald Kochan.
History and Building
The museum's present building, purchased in January 1982, is the former Port Washington Public Library. It is listed on the historic register. Within approximately thirty rooms, the building houses the Center for Military Studies (CMS) Annex, fifteen exhibit galleries, a research library, the Archacki Archives, a lecture hall/performance hall, a gift shop, reception area, offices, and storage areas.
Collections and Exhibits
The museum features displays of folk art, costumes, historical artifacts, and paintings, as well as a bilingual research library with a particular focus on the achievements of people of Polish heritage in America. Nearly everything in the museum was donated by members of the community, including war memorabilia, army uniforms, Polish medals, weapons, and books about Poland in both English and Polish.
Notable exhibits include:
- Portraits of prominent Polish figures: Pope John Paul II, Tadeusz Kościuszko (wearing the uniform of Brigadier General of the American Revolutionary Army), and Kazimierz Pułaski (General Commander of the Cavalry under George Washington).
- Polish Nobel Prize laureates room: Featuring Marie Curie and Lech Wałęsa.
- Music room: Containing plaster replicas of Frédéric Chopin's death mask and his left hand, brought from Warsaw.
- Holocaust exhibit: Including a blue-and-white striped jacket of a concentration-camp inmate, a Polish prisoner held by the Germans during World War II, donated by a patron who survived seven different camps in 1944–1945.
- Polish Monarchy room: Depicting the period of Polish monarchy from the origins of the country to the last king, Stanisław Poniatowski.
- Folk Art Gallery: Exhibiting regional costumes, architecture, crafts, woodworking, and paper design, with thematic displays covering influences on Polish culture including the Catholic Church and contributions of the Polish Jewish minority.
- CMS (Center for Military Studies) Annex: Featuring military stories of Poles and Polish Americans who participated in wars that shaped both U.S. and Polish history, including a display on Long Island's Frank Gabreski, the top U.S. ace in the European Theater during World War II.
Archives
The museum's archival holdings include artifacts related to the history of Poland and the Polish American community, such as the extensive Henry Archacki Archive and a collection of Polish-American art (ca. 1900–1990). Research materials cover Polish history and culture, including records of Polish American participation in the American Civil War, historical writings, photographs, personal letters, audio and video tapes, clippings, newsletters, directories, and certificates. Materials about Polish-American organizations include documents from the Polish National Alliance, the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America, and the Polish Falcons of America. The archive comprises approximately 50 cubic feet (1.4 m³) of materials.
Purpose
According to the museum's stated purpose, it aims to motivate and supplement Polish American citizens and other American citizens with a greater knowledge and appreciation of their heritage and the values of their culture, customs, social, humanitarian, patriotic, and industrial achievements in education, medicine, science, arts, music, sports, and literature.
