Lithuanians of Schuylkill County

From villages and cities in Lithuania, immigrants came to America to find what they were denied in Eastern Europe, which was freedom from tyranny and want as well as freedom to worship and live as they chose. Through centuries of bloody invasions and cruel oppression, their Lithuania was denied to them, yet here, in the anthracite coalfields of Pennsylvania, these immigrants worked to build communities of proud American citizens who continued to celebrate Kucios as well as Kaledos, eat blynai and šaltibaršcia, decorate marguciai, and pray the rosary in their native language. In Schuylkill County, they built the first churches, first schools, and first communities established by Lithuanians in the United States. Lithuanian American bands, newspapers, and festivals prospered for decades. No matter the hardships--grueling work in coalmines, contempt and violence against recent immigrants, religious prejudice, or condescension toward foreign names and accents--they believed in their country, the United States. Their stories are essential America.