This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Szeged and Toledo, Ohio, USA. Although the two cities are spatially divided by the Atlantic Ocean, their rich cultural, educational and economic lives are strongly intertwined. A key initiator of the relationship was Judy Balogh, president of the Hungarian Club of Toledo at that time. In an interview made in 1998 she explained why Szeged was chosen as a sister city: "because of the marvelous similarities between the two cities. Szeged is divided by the River Tisza, while Toledo is divided by the River Maumee; furthermore, both cities are famous for their university and developed economy" (Délmagyarország, July 7, 1998).

Judy Balogh, an outstanding and much respected member of the Hungarian-American community of Toledo, passed away on September 3, 2014. She was proud of her Hungarian roots and actively maintained her ethnic heritage throughout her entire life. She was president of the Toledo-Szeged Committee and a board member of Toledo Sister Cities International. She was also an active participant of the Calvin United Church of Christ where she held traditional Hungarian embroidery classes. Judy spent much of her lifetime in the large Midwestern industrial town of Toledo, however was born in a southern state, Louisiana. Her birthplace was Árpádhon, the largest Hungarian rural community in the United States.

Hungarian immigrant settlers of the early 20^th century were generally associated with large cities of heavy industry highly concentrating in the state of Ohio. Only one percent of Hungarian immigrants lived in agricultural communities within the framework of the industrial United States (Puskás: 2000, 110-113). As Julianna Puskás argues in her extensive book entitled Ties that bind, ties that divide: 100 years of Hungarian experience in the United States (2000), the only significantly large Hungarian rural settlement in the U.S. can be located in Árpádhon. Although several attempts to establish agricultural colonies were made in the New World, for instance Buda, Tokaj and Nyitra, they proved to be all short-lived settlements that soon ceased to exist (2000, 113).

Despite bearing the significance of the largest Hungarian rural settlement in the U.S., Árpádhon is scarcely mentioned in academic literature. Therefore, Royanne Kropog's monographic work entitled The Story of Árpádhon: Hungarian Settlement, Louisiana 1896-2006 - by the residents and descendants of the early settlers as told to Royanne Kropog, published in 2006, meets and important need in the historic and ethnographic documentation of this unique place and its community.

Kropog's book provides a detailed account of the history of Árpádhon in 28 chapters covering a period of 110 years. The author used 40 personal interviews, over 70 original photographs and several unpublished manuscripts as primary sources to document and survey the life of Árpádhon, or the Hungarian Settlement as it is known today. Furthermore, she gives first-hand accounts on the contemporary community via her personal observations and relations.

The original territory of Árpádhon was covered with vast, virgin forests owned by a family enterprise, the Brackenridge Lumber Company. The business soon turned into a prosperous one exploiting the land by 1906. To recover the company's large investments 20 acre plots were advertised for anyone who could afford them, creating an opportunity for the numerous Hungarian employees to obtain land. However, life was not easy at the beginning for the Hungarian settlers: clearing family plots, building homes and getting acquainted with the new environment that significantly differed from the Old Country. Community cohesiveness, built on mutual family and institutional help, contributed to the survival of the initial hard times. The Immigration House, the Saint Margaret Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church provided refuge and security for individuals; masses and teaching in Hungarian language were provided.

Hungarian settlers were faced with new farming conditions that significantly differed from the ones learned in the Old Country. The tropical climate required the invention of new farming methods to plant, cultivate and harvest the land. News about a new kind of crop, strawberries, soon reached the Hungarian farmers, however, only few of the brave dared to start growing the previously unknown crop. Raising strawberries proved to be an extremely prosperous business in a short period of time, engaging all of the local farmers in growing this new kind of crop. The success of strawberry farming resulted in a flourishing, viable community whose life, daily routines and social events, revolved around strawberry seasons. The starting and ending of the school day, weddings and festivals were held in accordance with the essential work in the fields (34-38).

Social practices, such as traditional weddings and holidays are thoroughly surveyed by Kropog, drawing special emphasis on the importance of the Hungarian Harvest Dance festival that has been a keystone in preserving Hungarian ethnic heritage by the community (153). Procedure of preparations, dance, music and foods - resembling the traditions of the Old Country - are described in detail. Besides holidays, foodways play a key role in preserving Hungarian ethnic heritage that are deeply rooted in the earliest-formed layers of culture and are particularly resistant to change (Kalcik: 1984. 37). Hungarian food specialties such as kolbász, hurka, paprikás, pörkölt, fánk and kifli are still prepared by community members; old recepies are handed down from generation to generation within the families.

Similarly to other Hungarian-American settlements, assimilation into U.S. culture was unavoidable in Árpádhon. Contrary to first generation immigrants, whose language was Hungarian and only married to ethnic Hungarians, the second generation attended English schools, used English language in everyday conversations as well as at work, intermarried with different cultures that resulted in the weakening of Hungarian language use. The 1977 ESEA federal grant aimed its revival by Hungarian bilingual language classes, provided with native teachers from Debrecen, as well as classes on Hungarian culture and history (221-226). To preserve Hungarian culture and local history the Árpádhon Hungarian Settlement Cultural Association was established in 1976 and the Hungarian Settlement Historical Society was founded in 2003.

Royanne Kropog's work not only documents the 110 years of history and life of the largest rural Hungarian settlement in the United States by thorough research, original photographs and personal memories, the "story" of Árpádhon bears significance for the future generations.

Post scriptum:

Judy Balogh's legacy is remembered overseas in her birthplace Árpádhon, Louisiana as well as in Toledo, Ohio. Her efforts to establish the sister city relationship between Toledo and Szeged keeps her memory vivid in our city as well where she felt she was coming home. In her own words: "Here, on the bank of River Tisza I am welcomed in such a way that I feel like coming home" (Délmagyarország, July 7, 1998).

References

Kalcik, Susan. 1984. "Ethnic Foodways in America: Symbol and the Performance of Identity" In: Keller Brown, Linda and Mussell, Kay (eds.). Ethnic and regional foodways in the United States : The Performance of Group Identity. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press.

Kisimre Ferenc. Judy Balogh Toledóból - Ide mindig hazajövök. Délmagyarország: 1998. július 7.

Kropog, Royanne. 2006. The Story of Árpádhon : Hungarian Settlement, Louisiana 1896-2006 - by the residents and descendants of the early settlers as told to Royanne Kropog. Baton Rouge: Moran Printing, Inc.

Puskás, Julianna. 2000. Ties That Bind, Ties That Divide: 100 years of Hungarian Experience in the United States. New York: Holmes & Meier.