Magyar News, 1996. szeptember-1997. augusztus (7. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1997-07-01 / 11-12. szám
.."Villa Park" in the Kings Highway area became the center for Hungarian life in Fairfield. Hungarian stores and businesses lined the street and the shop-keepers all spoke Hungarian. The Meat Market was ran by the Poch family in 1924. To-day it is the Drotos Brothers store on Kings Hwy. John Szajko's Barber Shop was on Kings Highway. A sign in his shop read "In God we trust, all others pay cash." The Brooklawn movie theatre on Kings Highway showed Hungarian language films twice a week in addition to American films. Social Halls played a very important part in the life of the early immigrants. Here in their own language they heard the gems of Hungarian culture brought by poets, actors, writers and musicians. In Bridgeport's old Hungarian section, the West End, you could go to Ciglar or Rákóczi Halls for an evening's entertainment. The most popular social gathering place was the Rákóczi Hall located on Bostwick Ave. in Bridgeport. The Rákóczi Hall had the Rákóczi band and male chorus which participated in many dances, concerts, banquets and other social affairs. The hall, a frame building constructed in 1904. was also the center for national and ethnic celebrations and for meetings of many Hungarian clubs and organizations. Rákóczi Hall was not only known for its social functions but was the home of the Rákóczi Aid Association which was founded in Bridgeport on April 10, 1888 by 18 Hungarian immigrants and grew to be a national organization. It was merged in 1955 with the William Penn Fraternal Organization , a society with headquarters in Pittsburgh. The Rákóczi Society helped to start the Hungarian community in the West End. One of its first acts was to purchase the entire block surrounding their building. This parcel of land between Bostwick and Hancock Avenues, from Cherry Street to Pine Street, was cut up into building lots and sold to Hungarian immigrants as sites for homes and small stores. This block became the center of the West End community. In 1954 a new brick building was constructed on Fairfield Ave. The purpose of the society when it was founded was "for moral and intellectual improvement of its members, for the cultivation and promotion of charity, to aid and assist each other in sickness and misfortune, to provide for the funeral expenses of deceased members and to make suitable provisions for their widows and orphans." The society had good times and bad times, in the early 20th century. The influenza epidemic also struck very hard in Stephen Poes Meat Market Left John Szajkó 's barbershop Bridgeport where Hungarian immigrants and their families lived and at one time more then one-third of the society's members were on the sick list and were receiving sick benefits and many of it's member died and they were compensated for burial expenses from the society's treasury. Above: The Brooklawn Theater Below: The West End Theater Left: Rákóczi Hall Page 6
