In 1875, Polish immigrants, probably Kashubes from the Pomerania-Baltic coast region of Germany, were involved in organizing Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Indianapolis’ south side. By 1900, Catholics and Jewish individuals born in Poland constituted the seventh-largest foreign-born group in the city. Some lived on Eddy Street south of Union Station and others near meatpackers. Polish residents from Galicia in Austria lived on the west side, worked in area foundries, and attended Holy Trinity Catholic Church in with the Slovenian community. Although the Polish-born citizens generally settled in St. Joseph, La Porte, and Allen counties, almost 400 resided in Indianapolis by the end of . Among them was Alex Tuschinski, a young immigrant who, in 1917, founded Hillsdale Nursery on 80 acres south of Castleton.
The 1930 census indicated that 1,195 inhabitants of the capital were of Polish background. Some belonged to a lodge that sponsored social activities and offered insurance coverage (the Polish National Alliance of Chicago). After World War II, displaced persons and migrants from northern Indiana enlarged the local Polish community. By 1970, they numbered almost 1,500. Over 5 percent of the state’s Polish-born lived in Indianapolis in 1980. According to the 1990 census, approximately 1 percent of Marion County’s population had a Polish ancestor.
The Polish Cultural Society of Indiana was founded in 1976 as an outgrowth of the Polish community’s ethnic participation in the nation’s bicentennial observance. It also sponsored a statewide relief campaign for Poland during the early 1980s and continued its local programming well into the 21st century. The Polish Century Club organized later and continued to exist well into the 2000s, later going by the name American Polish Century Club. Local Polish groups observe “Koleda” (Epiphany), Dyngus Day (Easter Monday), and “Dozynki” (harvest festival), and they represent Polish culture and serve traditional foods at the annual .
*Note: This entry is from the original print edition of the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (1994). We are currently seeking an individual with knowledge of this topic to update this entry.
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