My first solo road trip started off kind of rocky. I left the house on Day 1 with the goal of going halfway to Temple, TX. That goal had me spending the night in Vicksburg, MS. I wanted to visit Vicksburg National Battlefield since the last time Robert & I went through there, we didn't have time to go through it. I arrived around 2:00 pm, which gave me plenty of time to go through the Battlefield at my leisure. I've got to admit, it was nice being able to go through at my own pace; when I had seen enough, I was able to leave without having to wait around for someone else. I found an Italian restaurant near the hotel and then settled in for the night. That's when the doubts crept in. One of my sisters (who has made the drive by herself multiple times) texted me, and I broke down. In tears, I texted her that I was thinking about turning around and going home. She encouraged me to continue; we have a lot of family in TX, so if anything happened, I'd have help. She gave me the courage to go on.
I was highly disappointed in the hotel. In fairness to Hampton Inn, the hotel was in the process of being updated, but the room was quite shabby. That didn't help with how I felt that first night and the self-doubts I had.
In hindsight, I could have/should have gone further that day. If I do this again, I will definitely do that. The Battlefield was okay, but I don't have the need to return.
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| The Shirley House is the only structure remaining from wartime. It is also called Wexford Lodge and the White House. |
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| As a Southerner, this actually gave me the creeps a little bit. |
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| I found the Tennessee Memorial |
The next day I listened to my private "Robert" Spotify playlist...his favorite songs, songs that meant something to us, and songs that reminded me of him. It gave me a lot of comfort, and I felt like he was there with me. I drove through Shreveport without any difficulty and made my way to Waco to spend a little bit of time with a cousin and his wife. I was starting to feel a lot better about things as I pulled into their driveway. I decided not to spend the night with them since I was meeting a friend who lives in Belton; I didn't want to be worried about coming in after meeting with her.
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| We had some good Texas Barbecue followed by my first HEB visit! |
I tried to get in touch with 1 of my mom's first cousins (so she'd be my first cousin once removed, right?), but apparently, she doesn't check emails frequently, and I didn't have her phone number. I wanted to visit the church where my mom grew up (and where my parents were married), as well as visit the cemetery where my grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousin are buried. I drove by my Grandma's, Great Aunt's, and Aunt's houses, and then went to church for Mass. As luck would have it, the cousin was there, so we did get to spend a little bit of time together. I was given a tour of the church, and the secretary helped me locate the graves.
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| A quick bit of time spent together |
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| The exterior of St. Monica Catholic Church, Cameron, TX |
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| The church was recently painted, giving it a "Painted Church" look |
I stopped in town for a quick stop at the jail and the"calaboose".
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| The calaboose was built in 1892; it was used as an overnight "holding cell" for jail prisoners |
I remember touring the jail when I was little, so I didn't take the time to go in. There had been a storm during the night, and the wind was rippin'! I was more interested in getting to my next destination: La Grange, TX. You may have heard of this town: The Chicken Ranch was immortalized in the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", and ZZ Top sang about it in their song "La Grange". I didn't go by where the Chicken Ranch used to be (the only thing that is there now is a decrepit building), but I did start my tour of Painted Churches on the way to the hotel.
What are the Painted Churches?
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Czech and German immigrants built churches in which to worship. They aren't very assuming when you see them from the road, but once you step inside, you are amazed at the detail and the beauty.
I did some research before I left home so I could plan out which ones to see and the order to see them. There are over 20 churches; out of the 9 that I visited, only 2 were locked. To me, that's a testament to Texans and their respect for history and culture. Keeping in mind that most of the immigrants were farmers, the churches are mostly in rural areas. I never felt scared being out there all by myself; maybe because I was on a mission.
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| Exterior of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Serbin |
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| The original church bell, which the immigrants brought with them from Germany. |
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| My first impression was just "WOW"! |
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| Close up of the altar |
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| The back of the church |
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| Stained glass above the back door |
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| View of the altar from the balcony |
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| View of the back from the balcony |
I was off to a great start! Since I wasn't sure if I would have time to visit the next day, I went to the Texas Czech Heritage Center in La Grange. I didn't have much time in the Center, but there is a model Czech village in the back, so I was able to wander around back there. The ladies in the Center were very friendly and helpful.
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| One of my relatives must have donated this house! It was a wonderful surprise to see that name. |
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| I wasn't able to go into the church, and I couldn't peek in the windows. |
La Grange is a very pretty little town. I drove into town, got out of my car, and walked around a little bit in the square.
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| Fayette County Courthouse in La Grange, TX |
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| I always think it's a little sad to see downtown buildings deserted |
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| La Grange is home to the Texas Quilt Museum |
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| President Teddy Roosevelt stopped at the "Katy" Depot in La Grange in 1911 for a 5 minute speech |
While on the hunt for the next Painted Church, I was pointed to the Hoystin Grotto. I couldn't figure out where the church actually is; the building behind it looked like a Hall of some kind. I don't think it's a Painted Church, but apparently it has some incredible stained glass windows.
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| The Hostyn Grotto is a replica of Lourdes, France |
And then, the shock and awe happened when I drove to St. John the Baptist in Ammansville:
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| St. John is also called "the pink church" |
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| This building is the 3rd one on this site: the first was destroyed by a hurricane, the second by fire |
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| Close-up of the ceiling |
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| St. John the Baptist was built in 1918 and painted in 1919 |
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| View of the back of the church |
Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Dubina was next. These saints translated the Bible into the Slovak Language and converted many people to Christianity. Dubina was once a fairly vibrant town. Today, the church stands alone.
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| Dubina was the first Czech settlement in TX |
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| The present church was built in 1911 after the first church was destroyed by a hurricane |
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| Close-up of the ceiling |
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| View of the back of the church |
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Praha was a bit of a surprise. Three stone chapels were built next to the church as memorials of "The Praha Nine": nine young soldiers from Praha who lost their lives during WWII. The community of Praha had the highest percentage of casualties in the USA.
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| The stone memorial chapels are around the church. There are 3 chapels with each one memorializing 3 different soldiers |
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| This church is the original building, built in 1859. Most of the outside structure was completed by parishioners. |
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View of the back of the church
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| The doors were stunning |
Nativity of Mary in High Hill is also called the "Queen of the Painted Churches". I think you can see why:
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| The present church was built in 1906 |
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| The church wasn't painted until 1912 |
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| The ceiling is oil on canvas mounted on wood |
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| The stained glass windows were moved from the previous building. They had been donated by parishioners |
On a personal note about this church: I found out the next day that my mother's maternal grandparents (my great-grandparents) settled in the High Hill community when they immigrated from Moravia. They weren't married at the time; his brother and sister were there, and she lived with her parents, who moved on to Cameron (see the top of the post). He followed her to Cameron, and the rest (as they say) is history. They wouldn't have been parishioners in this building, but his brother and sister would have been. Also, his sister spent some time in Dubina, so she would have attended Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
These next 2 churches were locked. As I thought about it, the reason may be that these churches were closer to the actual town of Schulenburg, which is a very small, kind of "sketchy" town.
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| Ascension of our Lord, Moravia |
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| I held my phone to the window to see if I could get a picture. |
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| St. John the Baptist, St. John. The windows were too high for me to take any pictures and there was something over the front door preventing me from seeing in. |
I left Schulenburg and drove about 30 minutes to Shiner. You may recognize the name from Shiner Bock Beer, but there will be more on that in another post. The first thing I did when I drove into town was visit another Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church.
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| The current church was completed in 1921 |
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| The view when you walk into the church |
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| Close-up of the painting in the dome over the altar |
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| View of the back of the church |
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| The stained glass was imported from Munich |
The last painted church I visited this trip was in Panna Maria. I was captivated by this community, which boasts a Visitor's Center with a lot of history and exhibits. Panna Maria is the oldest permanent Polish community in the USA.
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| If you like to learn the history of where you are, the Polish Heritage Center is an excellent place to spend an hour (or 2) |
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| Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church |
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| The oak tree where the first Mass was held in 1854 |
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| The beautiful painted ceiling |
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| The altar |
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| The back of the church |
The churches that I visited are close enough together that I could have gone to all of them (except Panna Maria) in one day. I was bummed that the ones in Moravia and St. John weren't open; I would have liked to have gone in them. The
Schulenburg Chamber of Commerce provides tours for a fee. It took me very little time to find a list of them through the
Austin PBS website. Then, as I said earlier, I just saved them in a list on Google Maps, and I was good to go. It also helped that a young lady gave me a map of them so I could compare what she gave me to what I had. I think I had a couple in my list that weren't on the map. Also, as I mentioned, I never felt scared or unsure. Google Maps guided me where I needed to go. Even though I thought Schulenburg was a little sketchy, I felt completely safe in the Holiday Inn. In hindsight, I should have stayed in La Grange. I didn't know how long it would take me to visit the churches, and I didn't want to drive in the dark.
Don't forget to check out my other post on my solo road trip that includes some history.
