A HERO OF TWO WORLDS

The little house which Kosciuszko left in 1798 did not become a National Memorial in his honor for more than 175 years.
Until 1970 there was little to distinguish the house at 301 Pine Street from hundreds of other small 18th Century brick homes which still survive in modern Philadelphia. In that year, the house was purchased by Edward J. Piszek, a prominent Philadelphia industrialist and an admirer of Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Piszek, whose parents were born in Poland, offered to give the property to the Federal Government if the National Park Service would maintain it as an historic shrine in honor of the Polish officer who contributed so much to the American Revolution.

There followed a long and arduous campaign of education and persuasion before the Kosciuszko National Memorial became a reality. Countless trips to Washington were involved, many interviews with officials and legislators; and eventually an all-day hearing before the Committee on Internal and Insular Affairs of the United States Senate. For that hearing Piszek organized an impressive presentation by a distinguished group which included Aloysius A. Mazewski, president of the Polish National Alliance and the American Polish Congress; Henry Dende, publisher of the Polish American Journal; Ernest L. Cuneo, lawyer, author and military analyst; David J. Abodaher, a biographer of Kosciuszko; Dr. Eugene Kusielewicz, president of the Kosciuszko Foundation and Center for Polish Culture; and Father Walter Ziemba, president of the Polish Orchard Lake Schools.
Late in 1972, a Federal law finally was enacted making possible acceptance of Piszek's gift, the restoration of the house and its maintenance as the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial. Then three more years passed before preliminary studies and the actual work of restoration were complete. When it was determined that the adjoining twin house on Third Street was needed to provide adequate facilities for the Memorial, Piszek purchased that also and added it to his gift.
On February 4, 1976 - the 230th anniversary of Kosciuszko's birth and just in time for the Bicentennial of the American Revolution - the Thaddeus Kosciuszko Home was officially added to the historical shrines at Independence National Historical Park.


	For the rest of his life, Kosciuszko hoped for freedom for his native Poland, but met only disillusionment and discouragement. He lived in Paris more than 15 years, but the Directory of the French Revolution did nothing for Poland. Later, Napoleon Bonaparte visited Kosciuszko to ask his influence in supporting French imperial plans. Kosciuszko refused Napoleon and always felt the French Emperor sought only greatness for himself. In 1815, after the downfall of Napoleon, Kosciuszko travelled to the Congress of Vienna, hoping to persuade the nations assembled there to create a new Poland. "But it all went up in smoke", he wrote to Jefferson. Thereafter, Kosciuszko moved to the little village of Soleure in Switzerland where he died on October 15, 1817. His memory is kept alive in both the United States and Poland. In this country, there are important monuments in Washington, at West Point and at Saratoga; there are statues in many major cities. This statue in the park across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House in Washington shows the Polish engineer in the uniform of the Continental army, carrying his plans for the defenses at Saratoga. In the national capitol a marble bust of Kosciuszko stands not far from the Trumbull painting depicting the British surrender at Saratoga. In Indiana, there is a county named for Kosciuszko. When Attala County in Mississippi was established in 1833, the name of the county seat was selected by a state representative who had often heard about the Polish officer with whom his grandfather had served in the Revolution. To this day the town on the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway proudly carries the name Kosciusko, Mississippi. In Poland, Kosciuszko's body is entombed in the monumental Wawel Castle at Cracow, the centuries-old burial place of the Kings of Poland. Above the castle walls rises an inspiring statue of him on horseback, leading his scythe-bearers into battle. At the National Museum in the modern Polish capital of Warsaw, a Kosciuszko Memorial is visited by thousands of school children every year, just as students in the United States make historical pilgrimages to Washington. Perhaps the most dramatic monument to Kosciuszko is the huge Kopiek, or little hill, which has been built in his memory at Cracow. The city wanted to erect a memorial which would be as long-lasting as the pyramids. A large stone foundation was laid just outside the walls of the old city and for three years, people of Poland from all walks of life brought there the soil from all parts of their country, piling up a hill which dominates the modern city that has grown up around it. The memory of Kosciuszko has become a symbol of international friendship and goodwill between Poland and the United States. When the Polish First Secretary, Edward Gierek, paid an official visit to this country in 1974, his schedule included a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument in Washington which commemorates both Saratoga and Raclawice. Similarly, President Gerald R. Ford travelled to Cracow in 1975 to pay tribute with the First Secretary to "The Hero of Two Worlds" at the plaque which marks the spot in the marketplace where Poland's Act of Insurrection was proclaimed and Kosciuszko took his oath as leader of his nation.


	A NATIONAL MEMORIAL
	The little house which Kosciuszko left in 1798 did not become a National Memorial in his honor for more than 175 years. Until 1970 there was little to distinguish the house at 301 Pine Street from hundreds of other small 18th Century brick homes which still survive in modern Philadelphia. In that year, the house was purchased by Edward J. Piszek, a prominent Philadelphia industrialist and an admirer of Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Piszek, whose parents were born in Poland, offered to give the property to the Federal Government if the National Park Service would maintain it as an historic shrine in honor of the Polish officer who contributed so much to the American Revolution. There followed a long and arduous campaign of education and persuasion before the Kosciuszko National Memorial became a reality. Countless trips to Washington were involved, many interviews with officials and legislators; and eventually an all-day hearing before the Committee on Internal and Insular Affairs of the United States Senate. For that hearing Piszek organized an impressive presentation by a distinguished group which included Aloysius A. Mazewski, president of the Polish National Alliance and the American Polish Congress; Henry Dende, publisher of the Polish American Journal; Ernest L. Cuneo, lawyer, author and military analyst; David J. Abodaher, a biographer of Kosciuszko; Dr. Eugene Kusielewicz, president of the Kosciuszko Foundation and Center for Polish Culture; and Father Walter Ziemba, president of the Polish Orchard Lake Schools. Late in 1972, a Federal law finally was enacted making possible acceptance of Piszek's gift, the restoration of the house and its maintenance as the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial. Then three more years passed before preliminary studies and the actual work of restoration were complete. When it was determined that the adjoining twin house on Third Street was needed to provide adequate facilities for the Memorial, Piszek purchased that also and added it to his gift. On February 4, 1976 - the 230th anniversary of Kosciuszko's birth and just in time for the Bicentennial of the American Revolution - the Thaddeus Kosciuszko Home was officially added to the historical shrines at Independence National Historical Park.