Ohio - Kosciuszko Lands in Ohio

Polish Patriot

Thaddeus Kosciuszko

This marks the northern boundary of the "Kosciuszko Lands." When General Kosciuszko visited the United States in 1797, Congress appropriated over $15,000 to him and a land grant of 500 acres. This land was part of his reward and pay for the services to the United States in the War of the Revolution. Lying on the east side of the Scioto River and extending from the Delaware County line below the Village of Dublin is the tract of land know as "The Kosciuszko Lands."

Kosciuszko came to America in 1776 and offered his services to the Continental Congress. He was accepted and given the task of drawing plans for the defense of the Delaware River.  The success of this work won him a commission as Colonel of Engineers in the Continental Army. He fought through the conflict but his most important work was the fortifications at West Point. In 1828 the Cadets at the Military Academy donated money with which to erect a monument in his memory.

In the Spring of 2010, Dr.Mary Kay Pieski, President of the Ohio Chapter visited the site of the historical marker and presented  Alex Storozynski's book "Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution, The Peasant Prince" to the current owner of the property where the marker is located.

This marker honors the memory of General Thaddeus Kosciuszko and is a tribute to all Polish immigrants in the nation.

Dedicated on the 233rd anniversary of the birth of General Kosciuszko by

Polish National Alliance

St. Thomas Lodge Number 2422, Columbus, Ohio

April 27, 1980

Kosciuszko's Land Grant Turned into Public Park

The City of Dublin, Ohio has officially opened "Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park" on a portion of the land that was awarded to this Polish-American hero for serving in the Continental Army. The 35-acre park truns along Hard Road from Scioto High School to Riverside Drive.

When local resident Deborah Solove realized that she was living near a portion of Kosciuszko's former lands that had been taken from his estate, she talked with the city's Director of Parks & Open Space, Fred Hahn. Hahn said that he had never heard of Kosciuszko, "So I went down to the Dublin public library and checked out a book called The Peasant Prince by this guy named Alex Storozynski and really became fascinated with the life and times of Kosciuszko."

This kicked off a process by the City Council to set aside a portion of this land to be named Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park, which today includes a series of educational signs regarding Thaddeus Kosciuszko, as well as 1.7 miles of trails, fishing ponds and a gazebo.

"Years ago, this land was taken away from Kosciuszko," Solove said. "Now, the city of Dublin gave it back."

Kosciuszko played a pivotal role in the American Revolution and stood up for the rights of African slaves, European peasants, Jews, Native Americans & women. After coming up with the winning strategy for the Battle of Saratoga, Kosciuskzo drafted the plans for West Point that Benedict Arnold tried to sell to the British. Kosciuszko left his salary from the Continental Army with Thomas Jefferson and asked that it be used to purchase and free slaves.

To celebrate the new park, the City of Dublin held a celebration of Kosciuszko and Polish food, dancing and music, which included members of the Kosciuszko Foundation's Ohio Chapter, the Columbus Polish Club, the Polish American Cultural Center of Cleveland, and local Polish schools and dance troupes.

The community also invited Ohio State University President Gordon Gee who has come under fire for telling Polish jokes. Gee did not show up, even though the university is in Columbus, which borders Dublin. A report last week in the Dayton Daily News found that Gee has spent at least $840,000 in university funds on travel over the past five years.

"People have come from all over, from Cleveland, Chicago, from Poland and even Australia," Storozynski said in his opening remarks. "It's too bad that Gee did not come, maybe he would have learned something. Maybe it was not in his travel budget."

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