Zabcikville
Temple, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
JAN ZABCIK SR. (1810-1881), HIS WIFE, ANNA HRUSKA (1825-1900), AND DAUGHTERS JOHANNA AND KATERINA TRAVELED TO GALVESTON, TEXAS FROM MORAVIA IN 1856 ALONG WITH JAN’S BROTHER, MARTIN ZABCIK, AND SISTER, ANNA ZABCIK. ONCE IN TEXAS, THE ZABCIKS MADE THEIR WAY TO CAT SPRINGS IN AUSTIN COUNTY. WHILE LIVING AND WORKING IN PARTS OF AUSTIN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES, THE ZABCIKS HAD FIVE MORE CHILDREN: JOHN (JAN JR.), ANNA, MARIE, MARTIN AND JOSEPH. IN 1886, ANNA ZABCIK AND HER HUSBAND, JAN (JOHN) KADLECEK MOVED TO BELL COUNTY, FOLLOWED BY HER BROTHER, JAN JR., AND THEIR BROTHER-IN-LAW, MARTIN STEPAN. THEY ALL PURCHASED LAND IN BELL COUNTY AS LAND OWNERSHIP WAS A DETERMINING FACTOR IN STATUS IN THE CZECH COMMUNITY. THE AREA WAS ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS KOCENDA, BUT CHANGED TO LUGOVILLE AROUND 1905 WHEN JOHN ALFRED LUGO (1875-1963) OPENED A STORE IN THE COMMUNITY. IN 1907, LUGO SOLD HIS STORE AND HOUSE TO FRANK JOSPEH MAREK SR. (1884-1961) WHO CHANGED THE NAME TO MAREKVILLE. THE NAME CHANGED A FINAL TIME IN 1923 WHEN FRANK ZABCIK PURCHASED THE STORE, SALOON, HOUSE AND LAND AND CHANGED THE NAME TO ZABCIKVILLE. FRANK ZABCIK REPLACED THE OLD STORE BUILDING WITH A NEW STUCCO-FACED STRUCTURE IN 1932 AND THE AREA AND BUSINESSES GREW. OTHER BUSINESSES INCLUDED A COTTON GIN, BLACKSMITH SHOP, AUTOMOBILE REPAIR GARAGE, GRANARY AND CAFÉ. IN ADDITION, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WERE INVOLVED IN SOCIAL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT SHOWS AND RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS, AND JOINED TO FORM CO-OPS. MOST OF THE ORIGINAL LAND PURCHASED BY THE ZABCIK FAMILY REMAINS IN THE HANDS OF DESCENDANTS. CITIZENS OF THE AREA CONTINUE TO FARM THE LAND AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY. (2012)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1856, Jan Zabcik Sr. brought his family from Moravia to Galveston, part of the wave of Czech immigrants who settled first around Cat Springs before moving on to Bell County. There the family bought land—a marker of status in the Czech community—and a small settlement grew, changing names from Kocenda to Lugoville to Marekville as different storekeepers took over. In 1923 Frank Zabcik bought the store and land and renamed it Zabcikville, and much of that original family acreage remains with descendants who still farm it.
Why it matters
Zabcikville is a living record of Czech immigration to central Texas, where land ownership and community continuity turned Old World families into enduring American farming communities.
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Related people
- · Jan Zabcik Sr.
- · Frank Zabcik
- · John Alfred Lugo
Themes & tags
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