| The City Council of Dublin, Ohio voted last night to set aside 40 acres of Kosciuszko's former property as "Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park." Kosciuszko was awarded 500 acres on the Scioto River near Columbus for his service in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
Fred Hahn, Dublin's Director of Parks & Open Space, wrote to Alex Storozynski, President of the Kosciuszko Foundation and author of The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution to say that his book inspired the naming of the new park in Kosciuszko's honor.
"I had never heard of Thaddeus Kosciuszko and went to the local library and checked out The Peasant Prince. What a great read. What a fascinating man," Hahn wrote to Storozynski. "If you are ever in Dublin, Ohio, I hope you are able to visit the park and see our local recognition of Kosciuszko that you were instrumental in creating. I certainly enjoyed reading your book and look forward to exposing more of the general public to Thaddeus Kosciuszko."
The park is to be dedicated in Spring 2012. Hahn said, "This winter we will be working on educational signage for the park, explaining who Kosciuszko was and why he was so important to American and world history."
In making his recommendation to the City Council, Mr. Hahn presented a memo that said in part: "Kosciuszko was a most important officer during the Revolutionary War. He was appointed the rank of Colonel by the Continental Congress and served as a military engineer from 1776 to 1783. He was responsible for the design of the fortification of West Point, was instrumental in the strategy for the Battle of Saratoga, and was personally recognized by George Washington as instrumental in the success of the Continental Army over the British. Kosciuszko went on to fight for democracy in his native Poland. Kosciuszko was a man of high morals and genuine concern for the personal freedoms of all men during a time when slavery and serfdom was common throughout the world.
American history may not receive the attention it once did, but naming this land mass after Thaddeus Kosciuszko, may, in turn, encourage interest in a period that helped secure the freedom that we all enjoy today."
Read about Dublin, Ohio
If you want to join Kosciuszko Foundation click here
Read the book about Kosciuszko
The Kosciuszko Foundation is dedicated to promoting educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland and to increasing American understanding of Polish culture and history. The Kosciuszko Foundation is a membership organization supported by contributions from foundations, corporations and individuals who share in the Foundation's mission of fostering relations and understanding between the United States and Poland.
Kosciuszko championed the rights of slaves, serfs, Jews, Native Americans and all people.
The Peasant Prince is a biography of Kosciuszko, who Jefferson called, "as pure a son of liberty, as I have ever known, and of that liberty which is to go to all, and not to the few or rich alone".
Kosciuszko National Memorial & some photos
A Map of Parks in Dublin, Ohio. The blue line on the right is Scioto River |
Polish News 19th Sept. 2011
This link has been sent to us with a little note, by Felix Molski of the Kosciuszko Heritage Inc. Thank you Felix.
"The Mayor of the City Council of Dublin Ohio, who
has no Polish heritage whatsoever, was so inspired by Storozynski's book
the Peasant Prince, that he convinced the council to set aside 50 acres
of the 500 acres Kosciuszko was granted for the new park. They will
be investing a lot of money to bring it to the high standard typical of US parks
with educational signage etc (I wish Australia could do as well). I will make
it a point of visiting it in 2012 and hopefully I can be there for the opening ceremony!"
Scioto River in Autumn |
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