One hundred and fifty years ago, transportation in what is now Lee County, Texas (the county was established in 1874) was a bit more of a challenge than it is today. A number of Wendish folks had begun to settle around West Yegua (now Fedor), but still attended church in Serbin. If they had children …
When you see the name “Suess” what’s the first thing you think of? I’m betting it’s green eggs and ham, the Grinch, or the Cat in the Hat. Take a look at that name again, though. The fellow you’re taking about is Dr. Seuss (spelled slightly differently)! In late 1876, the Rev. Simon Suess arrived …
If you’re driving along FM 112 east of Taylor, if you blink at the wrong time you might miss the tiny community of Noack. The little town did have a post office for a time starting in 1902 (at that time it received the name it has now; prior to that it was known as …
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little…” Read More »
On February 13, 1855, Pastor Johann (or John or Jan) Kilian must have felt as if things were looking up. The long voyage from Lusatia to Texas that claimed the lives of many of his fellow immigrants was not yet a distant memory, but it was now several months in the past. So was the …
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ― Winston S. Churchill It took me a long time– WAY too long– to realize that if I wasn’t trying things and failing (and trying again), I wasn’t learning. I somehow expected myself to know how to do everything …
“You can take a big step or a small step, just take a step, whatever you can do, and take it now” – Zig Ziglar When we look back on history, sometimes we have a tendency to think that the outcomes that we see were the product of some grand design at the front end …
Google Maps tells me that it’s a little over 100 miles from The Grove, Texas to Serbin, Texas. The drive time today is about one hour and forty-five minutes. When Carl and William Winkler relocated The Grove around 1870, they didn’t have the benefit of paved roads or automobiles, so it was probably around a …
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of the Grove, Texas at Sunset Read More »
In the nineteenth century, leaving your home and relocating across the ocean was a pretty big deal. Peter Zieschang did so– not once, but twice! First, in the 1850s, he joined some of his Wendish compatriots and established the Hochkirch (German for “high church”) community near Victoria in Australia. However, things did not go well …
“Alleluia!” now we cry to our King immortal, who, triumphant, burst the bars of the tomb’s dark portal; “Alleluia!” with the Son, God the Father praising; “Alleluia!” yet again to the Spirit raising. Christ is risen! (The light coming through the stained glass window over the door was in JUST the right spot when we …
Easter at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Serbin, Texas Read More »
This is the courtroom of the beautiful 1899 Lee County Courthouse in Giddings, Texas. It is on the second (and third, if you count the balcony) floors, and is on the south side of the building. The inside of this building is just as remarkable as the outside and is chock full of historic photographs …