Novohrad School
Moulton, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
For decades, Novohrad School provided educational opportunities for children living in the rural Bohemian community of Novohrad. By the 1880s, Novohrad, which took its name from a town in Bohemia, was a growing settlement consisting of a store, cotton gin, nursery and residences. In 1882, local residents established Novohrad School along with the nearby Grieve School, built for children of German families. Students attended class in a one-room building on property sold by Anna and Wenzel Wagner, Sr. to Kasper Holub, president of the board of trustees. Anna Neigebauer and Emma and Jim Rab later sold additional acreage to the school. A two-room structure that included a stage used for plays (including Czech productions performed by adults), graduation ceremonies and other activities replaced the first school in 1900. The new building housed up to ten grades, although not every grade was represented each year. Peak enrollment was 81 students; classes included geography, history, math, English, reading, spelling and physical education. Some pupils learned to read and write in the Czech language in extracurricular tutoring. The school also had volleyball, basketball and baseball teams. Two former students, George Pavlicek and Adolph Rab, lost their lives in military service during World War II. In 1953, Novohrad School closed and most students began attending classes in the Moulton Independent School District. Many of the former students achieved professional success due in part to their education at this school. Today, the school is remembered as a place of learning form children of Czech descent living in the rural Novohrad community. (2007)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Novohrad, a Bohemian farming settlement named for a town back in Bohemia, opened its own school in 1882 to serve the children of Czech families. A one-room building gave way in 1900 to a two-room structure with a stage that hosted Czech-language plays performed by adults; enrollment peaked at 81, and some pupils learned to read and write Czech in after-hours tutoring. Two former students died in World War II service before the school closed in 1953 and its pupils moved to Moulton.
Why it matters
It shows how immigrant communities used the rural schoolhouse both to educate their children in English and to keep their mother tongue and culture alive across generations.
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Related people
- · George Pavlicek
- · Adolph Rab
Themes & tags
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