The Kosciuszko Foundation Archives in New York – the forgotten treasury not only to the history of Polish science

The Kosciuszko Foundation in New York has several chapters in the main cities in the United States of America as well as in Warsaw. It was founded in 1925 by Steven Mizwa (professor of economics at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa) with the cooperation of American intellectuals and businessmen (some of Polish origins), and from the very beginning it was thought as the American Center of Polish Culture – to build the cultural bridges between the U.S. and Poland. It is mainly famous for its educational and exchange programmes, addressed not only to the students but also to the scholars. What is more, every single year the KF organises the piano competitions, annual balls, various concerts, lectures and many other events. The main building holds the pictures of Polish masters such as: Jan Matejko, Wojciech Kossak, Jacek Malczewski. Unfortunately, only a few persons know about the existing of the Kosciuszko Foundation Archives. The main aim of this paper is to give the general view on the KF records. The archives’ inventory has never been published or accessible on line, and it is not so easy to get through. That is why the collection is rather unknown. Nevertheless, worth visiting to expore her precious materials. It hides such treasures as lett ers from prominent politicians (Jan Kucharzewski, Aleksander Skrzyński, Tytus Filipowicz), various eminent Polish scholars such as: Henryk Arctowski, Roman Dyboski, Ludwik Ehrlich, Stanisław Kot, Adam Krzyżanowski, Wacław Lednicki, Julian Makarewicz, Eugeniusz Romer and many professors of American universities (Columbia, Harvard, Notre-Dame, Berkeley). What is more, the collection can be used to do the research on Polonia organizations, students exchange programmes (since 1925 onwards) and lots of examples of cooperation between Poland and the U.S. before and after World War 2. The list of most important people whose papers are the part of the Kosciuszko Foundation Archives is given as Appendix