Saint Ludmila's Academy
Shiner, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first Catholic school in Shiner was built in 1896 by Scherbohm and Mewes, contractors. The two story French style frame building housed two classrooms, a dining room and kitchen on the first floor, and a residence for the Sisters on the second floor. Named Saint Ludmila's Academy in honor of a Slavic saint, the school opened in February 1897 and was operated by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament religious order in the state of Texas. The co-educational boarding and day school enrolled fifty-seven students the first year. Courses included German and Czech language; music courses featured piano, guitar, and mandolin. In 1902 two years of high school were added to the elementary grades. In 1916 a new structure was built to meet increased enrollment. In 1928 a four-year high school was incorporated, and the school received the designation of an academy. After 1939, no pupils were accepted as boarders. An elementary school was built in 1951, and a gymnasium, auditorium and cafeteria were added to the campus. In 1963 the Shiner Parish erected St. Paul High School. The educational complex is known as the Shiner Catholic School. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Shiner's first Catholic school opened in early 1897 in a two-story French-style frame building, named Saint Ludmila's Academy for a Slavic saint and run by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. It served fifty-seven students that first year in a community of German and Czech immigrants, teaching those languages alongside piano, guitar, and mandolin. Over the following decades it grew from an elementary academy into a four-year high school and, eventually, the modern Shiner Catholic School.
Why it matters
The academy shows how immigrant Catholic communities in Texas built lasting educational institutions that preserved their language and faith while raising up new generations.
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Themes & tags
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