St. Joseph and the Seven Gables: The Polish Community on Derby Street

There are few reminders left today on Derby Street of the active Polish community that flourished there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries besides a Polish street name and the tall facade of St. Joseph’s Hall, home of the St. Joseph Polish Roman Catholic Association. Join Dr. Emily Murphy, Park Historian at Salem Maritime National Historic Site, to explore the importance of organizations like St. Joseph’s and the House of Seven Gables Settlement House to this immigrant community. Copies of her book, Images of America: The Polish Community of Salem, co-written with Felicia L. Wilczenski, will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.

Emily A. Murphy is the Cultural Resources Manager for Salem Maritime National Historic Site and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, Annapolis; an MA in American Studies from the Pennsylvania State University, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Boston University. During nearly 30 years of working in the public history field, she has used a variety of public records to examine the lives of people who have left few written records behind. Her major publications for the National Park Service include the walking tour guide Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Salem, and Merchants, Clerks, Citizens, and Soldiers: A History of the Second Corps of Cadets.

Members: Free

Non-Members: $7.00 per person

To reserve your spot for this lecture please email groups@7gables.org, or call 978-744-0991 ext. 104