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by Barbara Proko and Janice Baniukiewicz Stickles
Polish settlement in Worcester County had humble beginnings: a small group of German Poles in the 1870s. Over the next decades, thousands of Russian and Austrian Poles, fleeing economic and political hardship, pinned their hopes for a better life on jobs in the burgeoning industries of central Massachusetts. Practicing their religion in their native tongue was vital to these devout Catholics. New England's first Polish parish was founded in Webster, with others following in Worcester, Gardner, West Warren, Clinton, Southbridge, and Dudley. Polish clubs served as central gathering places in Gilbertville, Uxbridge, and South Grafton. Worcester County's Polish Americans share an intricate web of relationships -- family, religious, business, social, cultural, educational, political, and athletic -- that celebrates their heritage and sustains them today as one of the region's largest ethnic groups.
The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories form the past that shape the character of the community today.
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Features
- Softcover
- 128 pages
- 200 black and white photographs
- Size: 6.5" x 9.25" (16.5cm x 23.5cm)
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