Shenandoah’s Lithuanian heritage on display at new museum

SHENANDOAH – State and county officials were on hand Sunday as the Lithuanian Heritage Museum opened on Shenandoah’s east end.

The effort of Anne Chaikowsky La Voie Skirmantas and her husband Peter came to fruition with an open house Sunday afternoon.

It highlights the Lithuanian heritage of the anthracite region and the many Lithuanian firsts that occurred here in the Shenandoah and Mahanoy valleys.

The museum is located in the former Chaikowsky Funeral Home at 318 East Centre Street.

State Rep. Tim Twardzik, State Senator Dave Argall, and county commissioners Gary Hess and Larry Padora were all present for the opening.

Shenandoah was once termed “Little Lithuania,” as noted by a historical marker at Main and Centre Streets, and was home to the first Lithuanian Catholic Church in the United States, St. George’s.

The fixture of Shenandoah’s skyline for more than a century, the Diocese of Allentown, in defiance of opposition both locally and nationally and a legal challenge, flattened the landmark in late 2009. Ever since, a billboard has reminded drivers of the lost landmark on the Gold Star Highway, near where it would come into view returning to town.

The museum has stained glass from the church and other artifacts on display.

All sorts of household, religious, and cultural items are displayed as well.

Chaikowsky La Voie Skirmantas, the curator, tells the Sentinel the museum is a revival of one that existed in Frackville, operated by the Knights of Lithuania in the 1980’s. Many of the artifacts from that museum are present at the new museum in Shenandoah.

A Lithuanian American student group also helped in the effort. She adds that grants and donations also assisted.

Schuylkill County, she says, is home to the world’s oldest Lithuanian overseas community.

Numerous firsts for Lithuanians, either in the United States or the world, occurred in the Shenandoah and Mahanoy valleys, including the establishment of the first Lithuanian Catholic parish and cemetery in the U.S., the first printing of a Lithuanian word or novel, among numerous others.

The museum is open by appointment and you can reach out at [email protected] or 570-590-9345.

Micquelynn Kapuschinsky contributed to this article.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home. She is a 12-time Keystone Media Award winner, a PAB Excellence in Broadcasting award winner, and has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award.

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