PFA National Banner Restoration Project

Historically, we recognize the establishment of the Polish Falcons of America in the United States as June 12, 1887. On this day, a group led by Felix Pietrowicz in Chicago, Ill., established the first Falcon Nest in the U.S. Almost seven years later, on January 7, 1894, ten delegates representing four Falcon Nests met in Chicago to unify these Nests into an organization called the Polish Falcons Alliance in America. The State of Illinois approved the charter for this organization on May 1, 1894.

Falcon Members created a Banner to symbolize the unification of the Nests and the establishment of a new National Organization. Although we don’t know exactly who made the Banner, it is likely the Banner was made in 1899 by Polish women, in Chicago who supported the Polish Falcons. Ever since, the Banner has been kept and shown at National Headquarters of the Polish Falcons. In August 1925, the Banner made its way to Poland as part of a Falcon Tour led by past President Dr. Starzynski. A motion picture made from the trip shows the Banner unfurled at the top of the Kosciuszko Mound near Krakow. Tadeusz Kosciuszko is the patron of the Polish Falcons of America.

In August 1925 a large group Polish Falcons, led by President Teofil Starzynski, from the United States visited Poland. The Falcon Banner was included on the trip. In the photos above, the Banner is unfurled atop the Kosciuszko Mound outside of Krakow.

Even though it has remained intact for almost 125 years, unfortunately, time has taken its toll on the Banner, and it greatly needs repair. In 2019, the Polish Falcons donated its historical archive to the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) in Warsaw, Poland, for safekeeping and preservation. At that time, we displayed the Banner at National Headquarters in Pittsburgh. We chose to keep the Banner in the U.S. Since we relocated National Headquarters, we had to keep the Banner in storage until we could find an appropriate manner to display it again.

The Falcon Banner is two-sided. On the burgundy/red side, at the top is the Falcons motto – “Czołem Ojczyźnie szponem wrogowi” (A salute to the fatherland, talons to the enemy). On the ribbon beneath the Falcon — Alliance of Polish Falcons of the United States of North America founded 1894. This date marks the establishment of the Polish Falcons Alliance. The white side translates – Polish women in Chicago for Polish Falcons in America 1899. This is a different date because 1899 is most likely when the banner was created.

Knowing it needed to be repaired, the best place to start was IPN. In April 2023, I took the Banner to Poland to be examined by experts at IPN in Warsaw. After a thorough examination, IPN informed us that repairing the Banner would cost approximately $10,000.

Pictured above: The Polish Falcons Banner being examined at the main office of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) in Warsaw, Poland. In the photos, from the left: Anna Włodarczyk-Sętorek, IPN Division Head for Conservation and Preservation of Archival Holdings; Agata Dawidowicz-Stan from the Department of Archival Resources Management (she assisted in with the translation); Grzegorz Trzyna, Head of the Department Archival Resources Management; and Marzena Kruk, Director of the Archive at IPN. PFA National President Timothy Kuzma took the banner to Poland in April 2023 for an evaluation of its repair.