Moravia General Store
Hallettsville, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Ignac (J. E.) Jalufka and Jakob Hollub brought their families to northern Lavaca County in 1874, followed by several other Czech families. Founded in 1881, Moravia was so named to honor Moravia, Czechoslovakia, the settlers' homeland. The first commercial structures here were a blacksmith shop, cotton gin, and school. In 1889 Jalufka built a two-story frame saloon on this site. Grocery and mercantile supplies took up the rear half of the ground floor; the saloon was located in the front. The second floor served as a dance hall. Masquerades, seasonal celebrations and other events made it a popular gathering place for the entire community. From 1891 to 1900 Jalufka also was United States Postmaster for the area, operating the post office from his store. The saloon was popular and successful until 1920, the year that J. E. Jalufka died and prohibition was passed into law. Agnes Jalufka inherited the business, and sold it to Annie Chromcak and Lillian Blahuta in 1922. Annie Chromcak sold her interest to Lillian and Frank Blahuta the following year. In 1930, a new dance hall was erected across the road. The second story was torn down, leaving the one-story Moravia General Store. The new dance hall across the road was torn down in 1950. The Moravia store remained in the Blahuta family until 1979. In 1990 the store was closed for the first time in 109 years, but it was reopened in 1996. The Moravia General Store remains a link to the past and to the spirit of the pioneers of Lavaca County. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Czech immigrants Ignac Jalufka and Jakob Hollub brought their families to northern Lavaca County in 1874, and the community they founded in 1881 was named Moravia after their homeland. In 1889 Jalufka raised a two-story frame building here—groceries and a saloon below, a dance hall above—that became the community's social hub for masquerades and celebrations, while he also ran the post office. Passing through several owners and surviving prohibition, the trimmed-down general store stayed in business over a century, closing in 1990 before reopening in 1996.
Why it matters
The Moravia store embodies the Czech immigrant communities that settled central Texas and the general stores that anchored their rural social and economic life.
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Related people
- · Ignac Jalufka
- · Jakob Hollub
- · Lillian Blahuta
Themes & tags
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