The Development of Polish Districts and Parishes in Cleveland, Ohio 1870-1930

Abstract

The Polish districts in Cleveland were being built until the 1920s at the outskirts of the town. In the 1870s the Poles set up their own communities in the streets Tod and Fleet Ave. In the beginning of the 80s the Poles obtained the location of St. Stanislav’s church in Tod Street. The parish priest became the priest of Polish origin. Initially, the inhabitants of the parish were mainly immigrants from the Prussian sector. In the 80s and 90s there arrived newcomers from the Russian sector. The extended territory inhabited by Poles was called Warsaw. In 1890s in another district was set up a settlement called Poznan´ , and then the Poles built a church (1893) and erected St Casimir’s parish. The third site of the Poles’ settlement in Cleveland was the territory on the west bank of the river Cuyahoga whose centre became St. John Cantius’ parish (1897). It is from this parish that the name Kantowo has been derived. In 1906 yet another St Jack’s parish was established, and the territory around it inhabited by Poles was called Jackowo. In the beginning of the 20th c., in 1914, there was set up Our Lady of Cze˛stochowa’s parish. Before that in 1905 St Hedwig’s mission was set up, and in 1906 St Barbara’s church was built and the parish was erected. In the years 1920−1940 Polonia in Cleveland made the most numerous ethnic group. In 1927 St Peter’s and St Paul’s parish was erected and later or the parish of Corpus Christi.