Past CSAGSI President Joe Hartzel reminded the group that the Czech American TV Herald had moved to UHF Channel 41 on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Joe also mentioned that Leo Baca, our guest speaker, would present “Discovering DNA Treasures” at the anniversary celebration. Bill Hosna mentioned that Bohemian National Cemetery, which is 130 years old, is asking for volunteers who are retired tradesmen or interested in gardening. Please call Kenneth Dvorsky at BNC at 708-788-8442 or Paula at BNC at 773-539-8442. Former President and present Board Director Bill Hosna informed the membership that there are three Board of Director positions needed to be filled and if anyone would like to run he/she should let him know as soon as possible so they may be slated for the May 20 election. Sharon Davis reminded members to get their reservations in by February 10 for CSAGSI’s 10th anniversary celebration and well-wishers ads, which will appear in the program, were available for a donation of ten dollars. An added feature to the celebration will be the United Moravian Societies’ exhibit of Krojes. Membership Chair Dolores Benes Duy reminded the group to get their membership renewals mailed and if they hadn’t filled out the Surname Database List, or would like to update their surname list, the forms were available at the meeting and will be in the next newsletter. President Nemecek thanked today’s hospitality volunteers and the members who brought bakery. A foreign exchange student from Prague, Mr. Nemec, was asked to stand up in the audience and be welcomed.
Marge Sladek Stueckemann, Program Chair, then introduced Dominic Pacyga, Professor at Columbia College, who spoke about “Czech Chicago: Pilsen and Little Village”, accompanied by a slide presentation of the old Chicago neighborhoods from the 1880’s through the 1950’s. Dr. Pacyga is a lifelong Chicagoan from “Back of the Yards”, who now resides in the Beverly area. Chicago, a City of Neighborhoods, Chicago Bungalow, Chicago South East Side, and Chicago History Guide to Neighborhoods are a few of the many books and articles he has written. He is currently working on Chicago, an Urban Biography and has recently appeared on PBS Channel 11 television’s program on Chicago bungalows. He is of Polish and Slovak ancestry, or as he said, “Half of my family was on one side of the mountain and half on the other side.”
According to Dr. Pacyga, the eastern European migration was from rural areas in the old country to urban areas in the U.S. The Bohemians, many of whom spoke some German, served as a “bridge” for other Slavs, Russians and Ukrainians. Chicago was burgeoning and there were jobs available, especially along the 41 miles of docks on the north and south branches of the Chicago River. At the turn of the century there were 28 railroads in Chicago which spurred immigration and sent the lumber from Chicago’s docks to states like Iowa to help build prairie towns. The lumberyards in Pilsen were the largest in the world and many Czechs were employed as “lumber shovers”, not the safest of occupations. The Slovaks tended to work in steel mills and meat packing plants. The area at 18th and Halstead near the McCormack Reaper works was a neighborhood of wooden houses. Chicago was the “Queen City of the West” and in a short time her transportation went from horse drawn streetcars to electric streetcars and her outhouses to “johns” under the house. As the city grew, the Czech immigrants were pushed out of the Lincoln Park area. They moved south of the Loop and finally settled on the southwest side, naming the area New Praha (Prague). Dr. Pacyga pointed out that Mrs. O’Leary, who lived on DeKoven and who is often blamed for having started the Great Chicago Fire, lived quite near the Czech neighborhood. The Czechs and Bohemians were made up of Catholics, Protestants, and the largest group, the Freethinkers. Slide pictures of St. Wenceslas, the first Bohemian church, and St. Prokopius, the first Catholic church were shown. To these immigrants creating a community and maintaining ethnic pride were extremely important. Although spatial integration (living on the same block with other eastern Europeans) was the norm, social segregation, even among Czechs and Bohemians, was practiced. There were separate SOKOLS, churches, cemeteries and newspapers (the first Czech newspaper Svornost was founded by Freethinkers). Czechs and Bohemians figured prominently in the 1877 Railroad Strike and the Haymarket Riot. Slides were shown of Thalia Hall, which housed a theatre and fraternal organizations, and of the 1893 World’s Fair, where Bohemians pushed for independence. Gradually, Czech immigrants were growing upwardly mobile, many owning businesses. Atlas Brewery and Pilsen Brewery were in business. President John Cervenka of Pilsen Brewery established Pilsen Park right next to the brewery at 26th and Albany, which became the center for Czechs. A large rally was held at Pilsen Park after Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated to protest the Hapsburg Empire from invading Serbia. After WWI, 250 Savings & Loans in Chicago were Czech/Bohemian owned and operated. And of course, this presentation wouldn’t be complete without icons of the Bohemian/Czech/Slovak community: Western Electric and the traditional bungalow home. According to Dr. Pacyga, 80,000 bungalows were built between 1915 and 1930. Ceske California became the political and cultural base and from it emerged its most important political son, Anton Cermak. Dr. Pacyga’s slide presentation and lecture was most informative and nostalgic.
A question and answer period followed Dr. Pacyga’s presentation. He cautioned the audience not to throw out old pictures and memorabilia, that there is always a group or individual that might be interested. He jokingly said to send anything Chicago related to him and he’ll find a place for it. A member in the audience mentioned that there is a Western Electric Museum at Morton College and that on June 6 the Berwyn Historical Society will be holding a bungalow house walk. Although the audience was eager to ask more questions of Dr. Pacyga and he to answer them, because of time constraints, his presentation ended shortly after 3:00 p.m.
After the presentation survey forms concerning the Bubenicek book translation were given to the audience.
Our next meeting is May 20 and features Sonia Schoenfield and Arlene Lane, Reference Librarians at Cook Memorial Library, who will present “Your Public Library: A Genealogist’s Guide to Unexpected Resources”.
Today’s meeting of 184 registered participants (152 members and 32 guests), had the largest attendance yet of any of our presentations.