In the series 'Letters from a trip around the world', the town of Wilmington, Delaware, is mentioned. The history of the state is briefly mentioned, as well as the Poles living here, who, among other things, founded the first St Joseph's Society. The town also features what is known as Pulaski Hall, as well as two churches founded by the Polish community living in Wilmington (Source: 'Earth. Tygodnik Krajoznawczy Ilustrowany", Warsaw 1914, no. 1, pp. 6-7, after: Wielkopolska Biblioteka Cyfrowa).

A modernised reading of the text.

Letters from a journey around the world
V. Wilmington, Del.

Delaware cannot be called a state, perhaps a bracket, for when the state of Texas has 262,260 km, the state of California 156,172, the state of Arizona 112,200, Delaware has an area of only 1,960 km. And only the state of Rhode Island is slightly smaller than it, as it covers 1,055 km. Naturally, there is the same difference in population: the state of New York has 7,200,000, Pennsylvania 6,500,000, Illinois 4,800,000, and the good old Delaware only 184,700; here even Rhode Island, though smaller, has surpassed its companion, for it has 428,500 inhabitants. The State of Delaware got its name from the Delaware Bay and River, which form its eastern boundary, and were so named by an English sailor, Lord De La Warr, who sailed here in 1610. He was followed by Swedish emigrants, who founded Wilmington, the first white settlement in the Delawara Valley, where a Swedish church, still standing today, was erected as early as 1648. Wilmington's prominent location on the banks of the Delaware and the Brandywine and Christiana rivers flowing into it made the town flourish, and it also has an old tradition among United States towns, for it was here that Washington fought the English in September 1777, and Pulaski distinguished himself at the time by leading a small army and successfully covering Washington's retreat; for this he was promoted to brigadier general. Situated on a sea bay and a large river and its tributaries, the town specialised in shipbuilding. It has large docks where they build wooden ships. There are a lot of Poles among the carpenters and joiners working there, and there are some who have been settled there since the '56s. For so many years, our people have already made a bit of money and organised themselves here. "Thirty years ago there were seven of us here, ladies, seven boys and two families. Where this hall stands today, there were deep pits where we used to bathe. Until 15 years ago, people didn't really know what a Pole was, and they thought we were Jews, and now Americans say that a Pole stands in the middle of the street and calls out: bring him here, I'll show him!" one of the local Poles told me. These 7 guys and 2 families were mostly from Poznański; they gathered at the German Catholic Church and founded the first St Joseph's Society there. Today Wilmington has a hall for 1,500 people with a library, board office and buffet in the basement. It is known as Pulaski Hall. It has a falconry for 1,000 people. For the public library, the town board brought in Polish books for $500, and offices and banks consider Poles to be most diligent in their disbursements. As the years went by, the Poles built two large churches and parochial schools near them, and they also built or purchased clean, tidy houses with bathtubs and electric lights. All these expenses are somehow sufficient for Polish pockets, while the Pulaski Hall alone cost $36,000 without the internal furnishings: the piano was provided for $900, and so on. The Pulaski Society is, like the vast majority, an insurance company: a member pays 50 ct. The member pays 50 ct. a month in contributions and in case of illness receives 5 dollars a week. In the event of a member's death, the widow receives a benefit of $150, and in the event of the wife's death, the member receives $75. Since in the States employers do not provide an allowance when an employee is ill or dies, such societies are very successful and almost every colony has one. Wilmington's industry does not stop at the docks, there are large wagon factories, tanneries, gunpowder factories, cotton goods factories and more. Altogether - the population exceeds 100,000, and the value of production in 1900 was $28,572,000, which has naturally increased considerably today. Of the colonies I have seen so far - Wilmington has made the most pleasant impression on me. Along with prosperity goes a certain higher cultural level, and our workers in Wilmington can serve as a model as solid and balanced people, full of tact and dignity. Interesting types also appear in the young Polish generation, already born on American soil: I met a medical student from Philadelphia University, the son of a carpenter from Wilmington. The boy studies during the year and goes to earn an entry during the holidays. Sometimes he works with his father in carpentry, and sometimes they send him with a package as a messenger. He has already spent three summers on errands in this way. He is a very nice boy, and although he does not speak perfect Polish, he organises a club of Polish students at Philadelphia universities. They want to set up a library, give lectures and papers, in a word, create a strictly local cultural institution, which can bring more benefits than an exotic speaker from the country, appearing on the horizon once in a dozen years or so.