Many of us on the east end of Long Island know that Riverhead is a lot more than the place to go for jury duty.  Like many east end towns and villages, it is a place to shop, to live and  raise a family, and enjoy the beauties of this geographically unique paradise.  However, there is one thing that sets Riverhead apart from the rest of the towns on the east end - the fact that it boasts its own ethnic area.  This is partially due to the fact that one in every four Riverheaders have Polish heritage.

Polish Town is a small neighborhood settled by Polish Immigrants at the turn of the century.  They came to this country for several reasons, the most important was to escape religious persecution which developed after Poland was divided among Russia, Prussia, and Austria. What is now called Polish Town was virtually unsettled prior to Polish immigration.  By 1905, the Polish Town community became established.

The Polish people always were and still are very devoted to their religious heritage.  They also came seeking jobs that would enable them to save enough to bring their families to the new world.  Since agriculture was their main line of work in Poland (a country who's very name means "land of fields," it was natural for them to come to the rich farmlands of eastern Long Island and work on the local farms.  It was a time when earnings were low - in the early 1900's the wage of a Polish farm worker was $10 a month, plus room and board.  The dreams of these Polish immigrants was a burning desire to make it in the new world.  They worked hard to advance and to become American citizens - while still maintaining the knowledge of the culture they left behind.  They came with little so hard work was more than a virtue - it was a necessity!  The new world was not easy and they learned that the streets were not paved with gold. The early Polish immigrant did more than just work the farms.  Twenty young men joined together and pledged themselves into a Polish fraternity.  The name of this organization was "Towarzystwo Polskie Rzymsko - Katolickie Bratnies Pomocy pod Opieka Sw. Izydora, Patrona Roinikow," "The Polish Roman Catholic Society of Fraternal Assistance under the Patronage of Saint Isidore, the Patron of Farmers."  They built a church of wood with twin spires using their own hard-earned money.  St. Isidore's Church was built in 1906 and is the oldest Polish Roman Catholic Church on Long Island.  (Click here for a seperate history on the church) The church became the focal point and spiritual heart of the little community know as Polish Town.

The modest homes in Polish Town were made of clapboard and the shops were one-story buildings were Polish was spoken.  Polish Town consists of approximately a 15 block area of residential, commercial, and industrial area.  Pulaski Street, formerly called Cemetery Street, is the main east-west thoroughfare.  The Long Island Railroad tracks form a man made southern boundary for the area.

On October 9th, 1929, the Riverhead Town Board passed a resolution sponsored by the Riverhead Polish Hall to change Cemetery Street to Pulaski Street.  This coincided with the 150th anniversary of the death of General Casimir Pulaski, who died in the service of our country during the Revolutionary War.

Many descendants of the early Polish immigrants are still in the area, many on the land purchased by their forefathers.  They are Riverhead's public officials, business men and women, doctors, lawyers, teachers, merchants, farmers, and so on.  From the hopes and dreams of their ancestors, they have become the American dream come true.

Click here for a brief history of the Riverhead Polish Hall