Saint Hedwig
Saint Hedwig, Bexar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located in far eastern Bexar County, Saint Hedwig was settled in 1855 by immigrants from upper Silesia in Prussian Poland. Without land grants, funding or transportation provided by an empresario, establishing a community proved to be difficult for the Silesians. Charles G. Napier, a planter from Georgia, agreed to sell the immigrants about half of his plantation near the Martinez and Cibolo watersheds. The settlers quickly registered their cattle brands with the Bexar County Clerk and cleared land to build homes and a church. The settlement was officially named “Martinez” and was known by locals as “Polanderville.” The settlers were farmers and ranchers and did not own slaves. The reasons for the Civil War were not well understood by the community, and the 19 men who served only did so after Conscription Laws were enforced. After the Civil War, the community grew to about 40 families. African slaves, freed from nearby plantations, were welcomed into the polish settlement where some bought land. They taught the settlers how to produce cotton. In 1868, the Roman Catholic Poles began construction of a sandstone church and school. They were completed in 1871. Around this time, the settlement changed its name to Saint Hedwig to honor the patron saint of Silesia. The first school for the black community opened in 1877, and they established a church and cemetery quickly thereafter. By 1890, Saint Hedwig achieved status as the largest Polish community in Texas. Through the 20th century and with the rapid growth of nearby San Antonio, Saint Hedwig maintained its rural character as a farming community. The city, incorporated in 1957, continues to evolve as an area rich in Polish-Texas culture and heritage.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1855, immigrants from Upper Silesia in Prussian Poland scraped together a community in far eastern Bexar County, buying land from a Georgia planter and registering their cattle brands with the county clerk. Locally nicknamed "Polanderville," the farming settlement grew after the Civil War, when freed African Americans from nearby plantations were welcomed in, bought land, and taught the Poles to raise cotton. By 1890, renamed for St. Hedwig, patron saint of Silesia, it had become the largest Polish community in Texas.
Why it matters
St. Hedwig is a striking example of how Old World immigrants and newly freed Black Southerners built a shared rural economy in Reconstruction-era Texas, and one of the founding centers of Polish American life in the United States.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Attractions
- Green Acres Golf and Games5.9 mi away
- Amazing Air12.6 mi away · 7702 North Interstate Highway 35, San Antonio, TX
- San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo13.6 mi away
- Off-Road Adventure Ride13.7 mi away
- Morgan's Wonderland13.7 mi away · 5223 David Edwards Drive, San Antonio, TX
- Morgan's Inspiration Island13.8 mi away · 5223 David Edwards Drive, San Antonio, TX
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Related people
- · Charles G. Napier
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Cemetery
St. Hedwig, TX
Beginning in December 1854, Polish families from Upper Silesia settled eastern Bexar County in a community first called Martinez, building a log mission church by 1857 and a cemetery beside it. The first known burial, in 1863, was of Rev. Julian Przysiecki, killed in a fall from his horse, leaving the settlers without a Polish-speaking priest. A new church to the Virgin Mary followed in 1868, the present cemetery was chartered in 1872, and the town was renamed St. Hedwig for Silesia's patron saint.
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