Chappell Hill Texas derives a lot of history and heritage from its early Polish settlers and since October is Polish American Heritage month in the United States, it was not surprising that the meeting room in the museum was decorated in Polish style for the membership meeting of the Chappell Hill Historical Society on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. There were several display cases containing some of Larry Gurka’s extensive collection of beautiful Polish folk dolls and a lot of framed photos of last years kolędy celebration that was held the day after Christmas.
The meeting began with a talk by Washington County’s well know Polish fiddler, Daniel Cendalski. Daniel, who has been playing the fiddle for 64 years, began his presentation by doing what he does best, playing several tunes on his fiddle. He then told the story of how he learned to play from his father Mitchell who had learned to play from his father Stanley who had immigrated to Texas from Poland. After lots of stories of playing weddings and other celebrations in old Chappell Hill, Daniel ended his talk by presenting the museum a plaque with photos of his Polish musician family.
A few photos of Daniel and his family in the early days can be seen on the Polish Texans Musician Tribute page as well as a short bio of Daniel.
Below are a few photos of the event and there is a slideshow of more photos on page 2. There is a video of Daniel’s talk in the Polish Texans Video section or you can see more videos on our YouTube Channel.
Slideshow of more photos on page 2
Video
James Smock has always held an interest in his Polish ancestors and heritage. He is a native Houstonian with Polish roots in Bremond, Marlin and New Waverly, Texas.