Guide to the Polish Falcons of America Nest #159, Ford City, Pa. Records, 1919-1976 AIS.1979.33
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Polish Falcons of America Nest 159, Ford City, Pa. Records
Creator
Polish Falcons of America. Nest 159 (Ford City, Pa.)
Collection Number
AIS.1979.33
Extent
2 microfilm_reels(1167 frames)
Date
1919-1976
Abstract
This microfilmed collection contains records of the Polish Falcons of America, Nest 159, Ford City, Pa., and of the national organization of the Polish Falcons of America. The records pertain to the activities of the Polish Falcons of America for the years 1919 to 1975. They include constitutions and by-laws, programs of field meets and national conventions, anniversary booklets, and organization histories. The collection also contains historical material on Ford City, Pa., and some of its various organizations.
Language
English
.
Author
John Thompson. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process on October 21, 2003.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
The Polish Falcons of America was founded in 1887 in Chicago, and was first chartered in 1894 in Illinois as the "Alliance of Polish Turners of the United States of America." In 1914, through amendments to the charter, the corporation became the "Polish Falcons Alliance of America" and in 1924, was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the "Polish Falcons of America." The purpose of the organization is to promote physical, mental, and cultural welfare among its members. They provide extensive programs for the physical development of young Polish people through well-planned gymnastics courses.
District IV of the Polish Falcons was organized on September 4, 1904 and encompassed the first few nests that were already functioning in Western Pennsylvania most of them near Pittsburgh. The headquarters were moved to Pittsburgh in 1912 and District IV became the largest district in the country with 7,000 members in 1964. Nest 159 of Ford City, Pa., is part of district IV of the Polish Falcons and was organized in May 1909. In 1916, the nest built their hall on Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street, which continues to be their meeting place today.
Additional histories of Polish Falcon organizations can be found in the anniversary booklets and historical pamphlets in the collection.
Scope and Content Notes
This collection consists of two reels of microfilm and includes records pertaining to the activities of the Polish Falcons of America for the years 1919 to 1975. The early records are in Polish, middle years in both Polish and English, and the later years in English. The collection also contains material on Ford City, Pa., and some of its various organizations.
Reel one consists of records relating to the Polish Falcons National Organization as well as records of District IV and Nest 159. These records include the Constitution and By-laws of the National Organization, programs for field meets and national conventions, and an anniversary booklet of New Britian, CT, were the 1952 National Convention was held.
Reel two consists of anniversary booklets that span the years from 1919 to 1962. Historical summaries of District IV and Nest 159 can also be found here. In addition, this reel contains material from other organizations in Ford City, Pa. These include The Polish National Alliance Group #445, St. Francis of Paola Church, American Greek Catholic Union Lodge #407, and Slovak Gymnastic Union, Lodge 20. Other materials consist of a script from a Polish play in 1930 and a book on the history of Ford City, Pa.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
These records were microfilmed by the Archives of Industrial Society as part of a joint ais-NEH project in 1979.
Existence and Location of Orginals
Original records retained by the Polish Falcons of America Nest #159, Ford City, Pa.
Preferred Citation
Polish Falcons of America Nest 159, Ford City, Pa. Records, 1919-1975, AIS.1979.33, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
Polish Falcons of America Nest 159, Ford City, Pa. Records, 1919-1975, AIS.1979.33, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Polish Falcons of America, Nest #159, Ford City, Pa., Records, 1919-1975, AIS Micro 79:33, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Processing Information
This collection was processed by John Thompson in May 1990.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Jamie Shriver in October 2003. Information about the collection title and the controlled access terms was extracted from the MARC record in the University of Pittsburgh catalog Voyager ID number: 1459001
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Sokol U.S.A. Lodge 20 (Ford City, Pa.)
Catholic Church -- Pennsylvania -- Ford City
Greek Catholic Union of the U.S.A. Lodge 407 (Ford City, Pa.)
Polish Falcons of America. Nest 159 (Ford City, Pa.)
Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America. Group 445 (Ford City, Pa.)
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