The Hungarian Settlement Museum, just south of Albany, was in the spotlight in May when Alex and Royanne Kropog, who have been closely associated with the museum since its founding, were named “Champions of Tourism,” by the Livingston Parish Office of Tourism.
The two were presented with the award by Eric Edwards, director of the tourism office and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. Recognition was given to the Kropogs, caretakers of the museum, for their many years of dedicated leadership in guiding the museum from its earliest inception to the comprehensive collection of artifacts and research papers dealing with the Hungarians who settled in the area starting in the late 19th century.
While expressing their gratitude for the honor, the Kropogs were quick to explain that creating and maintaining the museum has been the work of many residents in the area who banded together to create a repository that tells the story of the Hungarian families who left a deep impression on Livingston Parish and the surrounding region.
The Hungarian Settlement Historical Society, formed in 2003 to locate, collects and preserves the history of the Hungarian Settlement.
To share the story of the museum the Kropogs gathered volunteers who have assisted with the museum’s development to discuss why they have committed themselves to working with the museum’s operations and continued development. Joining in the discussion were Vicky Mocsary, Janet Wood, Tammy Miller and Ted Vegh. All have ancestors who trace their roots back to the early days of the settlement and all have an abiding interest in preserving the culture that unfolded in the backwoods of Livingston Parish.
The story of Hungarians in Livingston Parish
The story of the Hungarians in Livingston Parish started in about 1889 with the founding of the Brackenridge Lumber Company’s huge mill just south of Albany. The Brackenridge family, owners of large tracts of land in different parts of the country, harvested lumber, mainly cypress, long leaf and yellow pine, with the general motto of “cut out and get out.”
During the early years of the lumber business’s location in Albany, three Hungarians, described as “entrepreneurs,” by the Kropogs, became involved with the lumber business and began a movement to bring Hungarian laborers to the lumber camp.
The offer proved attractive to the Hungarians, many of whom had left their native land for a perceived better life in the United States. Many settled in the Northern and Northeastern states where they found employment in the steel and other mills and in the mines.
The Hungarians who chose to work with the lumber company were not only afforded the opportunity to earn decent wages, they also were given the chance to purchase the land when the timber had been “cut out” and the land was no longer of value to the lumber company.
“These Hungarians had a history tied to the soil and many wanted to escape the factories and the mines of the North and Northeast. They were looking for an opportunity to eventually own their own land and were fortunate to be able to purchase land from the lumber company,” Alex Kropog said.
Eventually, about 200 Hungarian families settled in the area where they cleared the land of stumps and through hard and dedicated work eventually became prosperous strawberry farmers.
Museum preserves history of settlement
The Hungarian Settlement Museum is a mirror of what these pioneering families accomplished while building the largest rural Hungarian settlement in the United States.
Visitors to the Museum, located on La. 43 south of Albany, can get a glimpse of how the Hungarian families carved out an existence in an undeveloped land. It helps tell the story of how they lived day-to-day in this primitive landscape. At the same time, the museum is also a storehouse of the Hungarian culture in general and it includes some history of the native land from whence the settlers in Livingston Parish came.
On display are relics of that earlier time. Among the many facets of the early Hungarian life that can be sampled at the museum are kitchen items, the music the families enjoyed, the lumber industry, wedding traditions, social life, costumes worn for Harvest Dances, an extensive collection of pictures of lumbering and farming, and other interesting snippets of Hungarian life in Louisiana.
Of special note is the museum’s collection of delicate Hungarian porcelain.
No story of the Hungarian settlement is complete without the role played by the two churches that were central to the Hungarian experience, St. Margaret Catholic Church and the Albany Hungarian Presbyterian Church. The churches were not only the spiritual hearts of the community, they also served as social centers.
Churches play big role
The role the churches played in the development and life of the early community is well-documented at the museum.
Among those who have dedicated their time, talent and treasure to the museum’s founding and continued existence is Tammy Miller, who stressed the importance of preserving the Hungarian culture. "I want my children and grandchildren to know something about their ancestors and about how our family came to be. We cannot let the legacy left by our ancestors die.”
Volunteers help museum
Janet Wood said she knew very little about Hungarian culture before she started volunteering at the museum. "The museum gives me and my family a chance to learn about the special people who made this community what it is," Wood said. "I want to learn all I can about our Hungarian ancestors so that I can pass it on to others. This museum is where we can learn the story of those who came before us.”
Vicky Mocsary said her grandparents taught her about the settlement.
"There is no other rural settlement in Louisiana like ours … the largest rural Hungarian settlement in the United States," she said. "This is very special, very unusual and quite wonderful. I was taught by my grandparents who were among the founders of Arpadhon to be proud of my heritage and to be proud of those who made this the special place that it is. We can show our pride and appreciation of what our ancestors accomplished through this museum.”
Ted Vegh, who lives in Baton Rouge, was born in Hungary and emigrated to the United States as a child with his family. He said when he moved to Louisiana he was looking for a place with a continuing relationship with Hungary and found it at the museum.
“Our museum tells a story … how these hardworking people came to create a new home in a new land. It tells how they lived and farmed, how they built and supported their churches. It tells and important story. I learned that I had relatives who were part of this community,” he said.
Alex Kropog prefaced his remarks by noting that the building housing the museum is itself a relic of the past and one of the oldest and most important buildings in Livingston Parish. The building was originally a Springfield school house that was moved to its present location where it served for a time as a nursing home. The building, owned by the Livingston Parish school system, was turned over to the historical society for use as a museum.
Kropog the group used grants, donations and fundraisers, to restore the building and start the museum.”
Recalling the day when the museum held its grand opening, the Hungarian counsel general came from Washington, D.C., for the event: “From the opening of the museum we have worked hard to preserve the Hungarian culture. I sometimes ask myself, ‘if the Hungarians had not come here, would this place we call home be something else?’ Surely it would not be the special community that we have come to call home … a place we hold dearly. ”
Royanne Kropog said, “We started collecting things that told the story of our Hungarian ancestors and we could not stop. At about the same time I decided to write a little something about the Hungarian experience here in Louisiana. Once I started writing, I could not stop and it turned into a book. With this museum we can keep the story alive and share with all who will follow us.”
Book tells the story
Copies of Royanne Kropog’s book, “The Story of Arpadhon, Hungarian Settlement, Louisiana 1896-2006,” is available at the museum.
A parallel organization, the Arpadhon Hungarian Settlement Cultural Association, is also engaged in preserving the Hungarian tradition in Louisiana. That organization sponsors the annual Hungarian Harvest Dance and other activities. Many hold memberships in both organizations.
“I have to believe that interest in the Hungarian culture will continue into the future," Miller said. "Young people are like a sponge, if you give them the information they will absorb it and will get informed and become active. My daughter is a dancer in the annual Harvest Dance and she loves her community and loves her heritage. .”
At present, the museum is open on Tuesdays and on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The museum is at 27455 La. 43 just south of Albany. Additional information about the museum can be found at www.hungarianmuseum.com.