| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Alliance of Poles of America |
| Title: | Alliance of Poles of America Photographs |
| Dates: | 1917-1970 |
| Extent: | 0.60 linear feet (2 containers) |
| Abstract: | The Alliance of Poles of America is a fraternal insurance organization which broke away from the Polish National Alliance in 1895, over the issue of membership for non-Roman Catholic Poles. Originally a Cleveland, Ohio, organization, it now includes groups throughout Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and has opened its membership to men and women with other than Polish or Catholic backgrounds. In 1917 it changed its name from the Alliance of Poles in Ohio to the Alliance of Poles of America. The collection consists of portraits and views of businesses, clubs, athletes, musicians, and events associated with or relating to the Alliance of Poles of America, a fraternal-insurance organization established in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1895. Included are views of the Alliance of Poles of America General Office at Broadway and Forman Avenue and portraits of members of its Central Governing Board during the 1930s and 1940s. Also included are World War II military portraits of members of Cleveland's Polish American community. |
| PG Number | PG 269 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
The Alliance of Poles of America is an ethnic fraternal-insurance organization established in Cleveland, Ohio, in September 1895. Originally named the Alliance of Poles in Ohio, this organization was founded by members of Group 143 of the Polish National Alliance who were dissatisfied with that body's decision to admit non-Roman Catholic Poles to membership.
The Alliance initially received most of its membership from the Cleveland area and from Ohio cities with substantial Polish communities. In 1917, however, the organization changed its name to the Alliance of Poles of America in order to more accurately reflect its growing membership outside of the state of Ohio.
By the 1920s and 1930s, the Alliance had evolved into a substantial enterprise. In 1925-1926 it constructed a large headquarters building and meeting hall on Broadway Avenue in the heart of Cleveland's Polish community in the Slavic Village neighborhood. By the late 1930s, its membership exceeded 20,000. It maintained over sixty "groups" in the Cleveland area as well as groups in the states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. During this decade, it also began the independent publication of its own house organ, Zwiazkowiez (The Alliancer).
The Alliance has functioned as a major insurance organization although it is far less structured in terms of membership requirements than during its early history. Membership is open to men and women and to individuals with other than Polish or Roman Catholic background.
The Alliance of Poles of America Photographs, 1917-1970, consist of portraits and views of businesses, clubs, athletes, musicians, and events associated with or relating to the Alliance of Poles of America, a fraternal-insurance organization established in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1895. Included are views of the Alliance of Poles of America General Office at Broadway and Forman Avenue and portraits of members of its Central Governing Board during the 1930s and 1940s. Also included are World War II military portraits of members of Cleveland's Polish American community. The collection includes approximately 500 black and white photographs that measure 13 x 10 inches and smaller.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of the Polish immigrant community of Cleveland, Ohio, in the twentieth century, and the history of fraternal organizations.
None.
Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult MS 3930 Alliance of Poles of America Records; and MS 3962 Alliance of Poles of America Group 87 Records.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 269 Alliance of Poles of America Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
These photographs were removed from MS 3930 Alliance of Poles of America Records. Gift of the Alliance of Poles of America in 1972.
Series I: Businesses, Groups, and Events 1917-1970 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Alliance of Poles, Circle 5 ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Alliance of Poles, Circle 7, Pennsylvania ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Alliance of Poles convention, parade, Cleveland 1956 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Alliance of Poles convention 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Alliance of Poles, Group 48, 50th Anniversary 1956 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Alliance of Poles, Group 149, trip to Poland ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Alliance of Poles, Group 174, "Sureconka" program ca. 1968 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Alliance of Poles General Office, Broadway Avenue, Cleveland, construction 1925 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Alliance of Poles General Office, Broadway Avenue, Cleveland ca. 1955-1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Alliance of Poles meeting rooms ca. 1930 1950 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Alliance of Poles queens ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Association of Polish Women in United States headquarters, 7526 Broadway Avenue ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | John Borkowski and his Orchestra ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Bowling teams ca. 1950-1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Central Governing Board 1938-1941 1946-1954 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Cleveland Society presents check to Marymount Mental Health Center 1970 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Garfield Inn ca. 1950 | |||||||||
| 1 | 18 | Joseph J. Konys funeral director, hearse ca. 1935 | |||||||||
| 1 | 19 | St. Stanislaus Kostka statue, Rome, Italy ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 20 | Mosinski funeral Home, unidentified funeral ca. 1968 | |||||||||
| 1 | 21 | Ohio Fraternal Congress, Cleveland ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | PGA Stores group, Cleveland ca. 1930 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23 | Paintings and medal ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 24 | Poland, unidentified view ca. 1955 | |||||||||
| 1 | 25 | Polish Archery Team ca. 1968 | |||||||||
| 1 | 26 | Polish costume ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 27-28 | Polish Daily Monitor sales ca. 1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 29 | Polish pavilion and mural, New York World's Fair 1939-1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 30 | Polish volunteers leaving for war, Monessen, Pennsylvania 1917 | |||||||||
| 1 | 31 | Polish war relief ca. 1943 | |||||||||
| 1 | 32 | Presentation Ball debutantes, Cleveland ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 33 | Presidents of the Alliance of Poles 1898-1935 | |||||||||
| 1 | 34 | Radio station WX_N ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 35 | Jules Slowacki (1809-1849) grave undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 36 | Third Federal Savings groups 1968-1969 | |||||||||
| 1 | 37 | Tour group ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 38 | Twenty-seventh convention ca. 1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 39 | United Savings, 7050 Broadway Avenue(?) ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 40 | World War II Polish soldiers ca. 1942 | |||||||||
| 1 | 41 | Unidentified church, drawing by Walter J. Rozycki ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 42 | Unidentified tavern ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 43 | Unidentified taverns ca. 1960 | |||||||||
Series II: Portraits ca. 1920-1970 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 44 | Ezra Taft Benson receives award from Polish-American Congress 1960 | |||||||||
| 1 | 45 | Mrs. John A. Gronouski christens submarine 1964 | |||||||||
| 1 | 46 | General Joseph Haller ca. 1920 | |||||||||
| 1 | 47 | General Joseph Haller, New York World's Fair 1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 48 | General Joseph Haller, World War I veterans, Poland(?) 1934 | |||||||||
| 1 | 49 | Richard Jablonski ca. 1968 | |||||||||
| 1 | 50 | Governor Frank J. Lauche group (autographed) 1945 | |||||||||
| 1 | 51 | Bernard Michalski group ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 52 | Stanislaw Mikolajczyk ca. 1950 | |||||||||
| 1 | 53 | Z. Nowak and Seth Taft 1967 | |||||||||
| 1 | 54 | Ignacy Jan Paderewski ca. 1935 | |||||||||
| 1 | 55 | Mrs. Joseph F. Sawicki, president of Polish Women's Club ca. 1930 | |||||||||
| 1 | 56 | Ben S. Stefanski, president and founder of Third Federal Savings ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 57 | Mayor Carl Stokes groups ca. 1968 | |||||||||
| 1 | 58 | Sulkowski, "Pole of the Year" ca. 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 59-60 | Military portraits ca. 1941-1945 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 61 | Military portraits ca. 1941-1945 | |||||||||
| 2 | 62 | Miscellaneous individual portraits, identified ca. 1955-1970 | |||||||||
| 2 | 63 | Miscellaneous individual portraits, unidentified ca. 1930-1970 | |||||||||
| 2 | 64-65 | Unidentified group portraits ca. 1920-1960 | |||||||||