Cesko Narodni Hrbitov
Ellinger, Fayette County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Cechomoravan Lodge No. 105 formed in Ellinger in 1884 as part of the national Cesko-Slovanska Podporujici Spolecnost (C.S.P.S.) fraternal society, which offered benefits to Czech immigrants. In 1897, the Ellinger lodge joined other Texas lodges in a new group, the Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas (Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas), or S.P.J.S.T. The Cesko Narodni Hrbitov, or Czech National Cemetery, was later called Ellinger National Cemetery. It served as the burial ground for early Czech settlers, including Thomas Hruska, C.S.P.S. member, and charter member and first president of the S.P.J.S.T. Lodge #1. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1884 Czech immigrants in Ellinger formed a lodge of the C.S.P.S., a national fraternal society that offered mutual aid and benefits to newcomers from the Czech lands. In 1897 the lodge joined Texas counterparts to found the S.P.J.S.T., the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas, and the community's Czech National Cemetery became the resting place of early settlers, including a charter member of the order's first lodge. The burial ground preserves the fraternal and communal bonds that sustained Czech families in a new land.
Why it matters
The cemetery reflects the deep Czech immigrant heritage of Central Texas and the fraternal benefit societies that helped immigrant communities survive and thrive.
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Related people
- · Thomas Hruska
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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