Memory Wall

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The Spiritual and the Social - The Polish Church and The Polish Hall 

When the Р.А.Р.С. Вoard asked for memoirs of the Polish Hall my first thoughts were of the wintertime Sunday evening Pinochle/Bingo Socials my grandparents often invited me to attend during the 50's. Everybody came dressed in their Sunday best, suits and ties for the men, and go to church dresses for the ladies. The men played Pinochle, the ladies and children Bingo. The prize for the Pinochle game was a bottle of wine. The custom was to uncork it and share it with everyone at the table. I do not remember the prizes for Bingo. However, I do remember some women playing with ten plus Bingo cards. Upon further reflection I realized that The Polish Hall and Our Lady of Poland were integral parts of the tight knit community of Polish emigres who came to the South Fork in the early 1900's. Sundays began with a spiritual gathering at Our Lady of Poland and Sunday evenings often ended with a social gathering at the Polish Hall. The same pattern held for many of life's events. Weddings began with a spiritual gathering at OLP. The wedding party then processed down Pulaski Ave. to a social gathering at the Hall. The spiritual good bye, the Funeral Mass, was at the church and the social good bye at the Hall. OLP and The Hall are cornerstones of Polish Culture on the South Fork to this day. The 100th anniversary of OLP was celebrated spiritually at the Church and socially at the Hall. 

Vincent Scerbinski 6/12/21 

My father is Michael Raymond Kosciusko.  His parents were Michael and Mary Kosciusko of Riverhead.  They lived on Marcy Avenue, just down the street from the Danowski Funeral Home.  My mother was Mary Eleanor Kosciusko.  Her parents were Michael and Nora Mojeski of Southampton(maiden name Zuhoski - grew up on the North Fork).  They had a house that was on a property that basically became part the 7-11 in Southampton.  My grandfather died in 1967, and my grandmother sold the house in 1971(which became a law and dental office for years before being torn down when the 7-11 expanded its parking lot. 

My father was President of the A.P.P.A.  Ironically, I never knew there was a difference between the P.A.P.C. and the A.P.P.A. growing up.   All I knew at the time was that my father was President of the Polish Hall.   It was only after I got to know P.A.P.C. Board Member Vince Scerbinski that I realized there was a difference. 

Some of my memories are as follows:

I remember my dad taking me to the Hall when I was very young, between 5 and 10 years old.  I remember teaching myself to shoot pool at the pool table next to the bar and playing the shuffle board game in the same room.  There was also a hook on the wall between the bar and the bowling alley; and there was a silver dollar sized ring attached to a string hanging from the ceiling about 6 feet away or so.  The object was to swing the ring in a way that it would hook onto the ring.  I remember practicing that hundreds of times while there. 

I also remember riding on the Polish Hall 4th of July float when I was very young and thought that was really cool to be in the parade.  I remember going back to the Hall after the parade and having hot dogs to celebrate the 4th. 

As I got older, I spent a lot of time in the bowling alley.  It's one of my favorite things to do.  In high school I would bowl a lot with Jim Buttonow.  I also remember Steve Najdzionek and  Larry and John Wojcik(aka "Vooty") being great bowlers.  I did father and son bowling as well but since my father really didn't bowl I'd fill in as a son for another adult who wanted to bowl.  I remember being at the Hall on a Sunday afternoon for Father & Son bowling when the U.S.A. Hockey team beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics.  We all stopped bowling to go into the bar room to watch the last few minutes on TV.   In high school I also worked at the alley on Saturday nights to make money.  I  got to bowl for free!

While I don't recall one specific dance or wedding at the Hall, I do remember going to several.  I remember the Polka bands playing and my mother trying to teach me to dance the Polka.  I was horrible. 

The last two dinners I recall going to were:  The dinner honoring coach Herb Goldsmith's career as a football and baseball coach at Southampton High School.  It was a great event honoring a great coach and person and there were many of Herb's players from different eras there.  The last big dinner was the celebration in honor of Our Lady of Poland's 100th anniversary.   The dinner came after a spectacular and well attended mass at OLP that was presided by Bishop Andrzej and attended by many other priests from Long Island.  The dinner at that Hall was equally well attended and festive.  I was very happy that my children were able to attend. 

Mike Kosciusko

Polish Hall Memories 

The Polish Hall has always been a special place for me and my family. My grandparents, Alice and Chester Sikorski, and their children Loretta, Russell, Irene, and Diana all enjoyed happy times there. They shared many stories about dances, parties, and wedding receptions held at the Hall. 

My parents, Diana Sikorski and Robert Pillsworth, had their wedding reception at the Polish Hall in the early 1970s. My father recalls that there were about three hundred people in attendance. Photos show that it was a beautiful event with a band, great food, and plenty of dancing. 

One of my favorite memories is of my aunt and uncle's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. My aunt and uncle, Loretta and Jerry Gaston of Water Mill, were married on December 27, 1956, and their anniversary was celebrated in December of 1981. The party was such a festive and special event. The food was wonderful, and everyone had fun celebrating their happy marriage. My aunt and uncle remain happily married, and this upcoming December it will be their sixty-fifth anniversary. 

Some other great memories at the Polish Hall include bowling in the basement and bringing my children to trick-or-treat on Halloween.The Hall is a special place indeed and a real treasure in our community. 

Valerie Hanley

FROM THE DESK OF

DAVID MAJKOWSKI

My family has deep roots in Southampton. My great-grandfather, Peter (Piotr) Majkowski came from Poland, settled in Southampton, and was a charter member and Director of the PAPC. I've enclosed scans of the cover and closing page from a 1928 copy of the PAPC constitution (in Polish!). I also scanned the cover of the constitution and bylaws from 1944 (in English). I still have both booklets. 

I never met my great-grandfather, but I remember my great-grandmother, Helen "Mama Pete" Majkowski, who was the public face of the family tavern, Mama Pete's, on the Bridgehampton Road. The business was gone before I was born, but my brother tells me the building is still there. I've heard that my aunt, as a very young girl, used to sing for troops back from the war. 

My grandfather, Edward Majkowski, was an electrician in town. He grew up in the house his father built on the corner of Wooley and Pelletreau Streets. He married a girl from a few houses down Pelletreau Street, Mary Flak, and they lived together there for what must have been 50 years. His younger brother, Peter, served as mayor of Southampton in the mid-1970s. 

My father, Jon, and aunt, Marylin, grew up in the Pelletreau house and I remember spending many wonderful summers there during my childhood. My grandfather used to take us bowling at the Polish Hall. As a young man, my "jodgi" helped put the "pin boys" out of business when they converted the lanes to automatic pinsetters. I remember him walking us down to watch the trains come in at the station. A fond rite of passage for each of the grandchildren was a trip to Montauk on the Long Island Railroad. We attended mass at Our Lady of Poland and celebrated my grandparents' 50th anniversary at the Hall. 

Interestingly, my mother, who was raised in Connecticut, also has family connections in Southampton and with the PAPC. Her maternal uncle, Stanley Matlega, lived on Layton Avenue and had a barbershop in the village. I learned that he was President of the PAPC in 1963 when I inherited my father's share and saw his signature on the original stock certificate. 

A funny story. Uncle Stanley would come to the Pelletreau house every summer when my brother and I were visiting to give us haircuts. As he was sweeping up the clippings, he would muse that if any of his customers saw the towering pile of hair they would congratulate him on a good day's business. To which he would lament, "No, this is only two heads." This was the 1970s after all! 

The houses on Pelletreau and Wooley were sold as my grandparents aged. The Wooley Street house was demolished, but I believe the Pelletreau house still stands. 

Hope you enjoyed my family story. 

Sincerely yours, 

David Majkowski