Few people know that there were a number of Hungarian agricultural settlements in the US and except for one, all of them were short lived.

The leader of the 1849 refugees' Laszlo Ujhazy founded settlement in Iowa, New Buda is defunct as well as the Agoston Haraszthy's settlement of Haraszthy Town, in Wisconsin. Hungarian farmers founded settlements in Georgia: Nyitra, Tokaj, Budapest and Fordhouse. They have all ceased.
One still finds Tolna in North Dakota and Balaton in Minnesota but no more Hungarians live there.

One of the surviving Hungarian settlement in North America in Canada was organized by the Association to Assist Hungarian Settlers in 1886. The president was Pal Esterhazy, vice president Tivadar Zboray. The settlements were founded in uninhabited areas of Saskatchewan and were named Esterhazy, Kaposvar, Bekevar, Otthon, Kunok volgye and Hunok utja. The Saskatchewan settlements in this province reached a population of 15,000 between World War I and World War II. Some settlers settled in Alberta. Of these settlements only Esterhazy exists. According to Arpad Pasztor (Amerika Kanadatol Panamaig. Budapest, 1924) the Canadian government expropriated undeveloped land from the Hudson Bay Co. and gave it to the railroads to settle. The Canadian Pacific rail was completed in November 1885 and 35 Hungarian settlers arrived at the Whitewood station from the Pennsylvania coal mines and from Pittsburgh and Scranton.
The first settlement was Kaposvar. Esterhazy asked $25,000 from the Canadian government to assist in the settling process. According to Tivadar Acs, Esterhazy was actually Pal Sarlay a soldier of Kossuth who titled himself a count. The town Esterhazy's website gives Esterhazy's original name as Janos Packh.
The winter of 1886 was - 60 °F and the settlers could not take this cold and a group of them led by Tivadar Zboray returned to the US.

In 1895 Zboray, Bruskay, Mocsary and 5 families arrived in Hammond via New Orleans. Brakenridge mill offered cut over land for sale. In honour of the 1000 year anniversary of Hungary in 1896 the settlement was named Arpadhon by Zboray.
On the site of the pine woods cut over land was sold at bargain prices. Without a down payment farming and gardening could be started. The miners turned farmers worked in the sawmills and forests during the day and their farms in the evenings. Pay was $1/day and for $200 20 acres could be bought on a 5 year term lease. Fertilizers and farming tools could be rented from the lumber mill. The mill built a community house for meetings, festivities and church services. This building was also used a residential facility until the settlers built their homes. School classes were also conducted in this building.

In 1905 Rev. Elek Csutoros arrived from Cleveland baptized 10 children in the reformed faith. The Hungarian settlers started raising strawberries which they learned from their Italian neighbours. This was a family undertaking. You could not get rich but prosper. With good organization one could make $500 on 20 acres in 1913.

New settlers were recruited by ads in the Szabadsag newspaper from Cleveland. "Come to Arpadhon. Return to your former occupation. Countrymen return to the tiller." The advertisements were successful. In 1900 there were 17 families, 1910 65 families and during the peak year of 1935 there were 350 families or 1500 Hungarians.

Soon there were organizations. In 1907 the Hungarian Mutual Association was founded. Part of the land was worked in common.

That same year a burial society was organized. In 1913 the Hungarian language Gardener's Journal was founded.
The successful farmers sent their researcher North to study markets.

Church organizations were founded and 2 churches were built. The reformed church was organized first by Rev. Janos Kovacs. The lumber mill donated 20 acres for the building and with group effort the church was constructed. Between 1908 and 1910 the catholic church was constructed and named after the granddaughter of King St. Stephen, St. Margaret of Scotland. Mary Friedman was the co-founder of the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic.

Rev. Alex Bartus became the community leader, preacher, farmer, agriculture specialist, bookkeeper, scout leader, bell ringer, school principal and school teacher. Many of the community's seniors learned Hungarian from him.
Alex Bartus was born in Tiszadob in 1892. His father was a poor tenant farmer who emigrated to the US to work in the mines. He sent for his family and for then his 10 year old son. The father saw the ads in the Szabadsag and moves to Arpadhon with his family. They young Alex learns English fast and becomes the interpreter in the lumber mill and makes more money $1.50/day than his father. The community sends him to Bloomfield Seminary in NJ then Chicago. He returns in 1920 and remains the preacher until 1969. After retirement he studies law and works to assist in the preservation of the Hungarian language. His plans bear fruit in 1976 and for 8 years Hungarian teachers come from Hungary to teach.

The first Hungarian language instruction was given by Rev. Andras Csontos catholic priest. The sisters conducted classes in English in the convent. From 1922-1935 Rev. Bartus organizes 2 month long Hungarian language instructions in the summer.

The former Hungarian Settlement School now abandoned is to be turned into a museum according to the plans of the Hungarian Settlement Historical Society (HSHS). The building has been placed on the National Historic Register. The 4th generation descendents are collecting funds for this project. There are fewer and fewer community leaders to do the work.
The community organizes an annual harvest festival and honorees' day. There are about 500 descendents of Hungarian origin but only a few of them speak Hungarian. For the school project they have collected about $75,000, $50,000 from the federal government, $10,000 from the rural development and $10,000 from local fundraising. To renovate the school they need hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tax deductible contributions to: HSHS PO Box 1909, Albany, LA 70711