Site of New Colony School
Rogers vicinity, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1905-1906 Czech families from Elgin (Bastrop County) and Taylor (Williamson County) relocated to this area and established the Nova Osada (New Colony) community. The first school, known as "Blue School," opened in 1909 in a one-room fraternal lodge hall built in 1908 on land purchased from John and Frances Shenkir. Vince Stepan, Sam S. Bennett, and B.S. Guess served as first trustees. A 3-room school, built here in the early 1920s, served the area until 1942 when New Colony School merged with the Rogers Independent School District. The schoolhouse was later moved from this site. (1995)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1905–1906, Czech immigrant families from Elgin and Taylor resettled here to found Nova Osada, the "New Colony," part of the wave of Central European settlement that shaped Central Texas farm country. Their first school—the "Blue School"—opened in 1909 inside a fraternal lodge hall, a reminder of how tightly ethnic community life and education were bound together. A larger three-room schoolhouse followed in the 1920s and served until 1942, when the district consolidated with Rogers.
Why it matters
It marks how immigrant communities planted schools as the cornerstone of belonging, preserving language and culture while building new American towns on the prairie.
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Related people
- · Vince Stepan
- · Sam S. Bennett
- · B.S. Guess
- · John and Frances Shenkir
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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