Industry Brethren Church Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Industry Brethren Church Cemetery, out in Austin County, Texas. Now, some stories start with a building. This one starts with a principle.

The Brethren Church traces its roots to an area east of Bohemia, in the state of Moravia, in Czechoslovakia. Folks carried those principles across an ocean and planted them in the German settlement of Industry, Texas, and what grew there has been growin ever since. It started quietly.

Periodic worship services were conducted in Industry beginning in 1860. No church building yet, just a congregation findin its footing on Texas soil. The first minister to serve them was the Reverend Josef Opocensky, who moved to Industry from Fayetteville that same year, 1860.

He was the one who got things goin. But it was the Reverend Ludvik Chlumsky who made it official. In 1875, he organized the church with nine charter families.

Nine. That's not a crowd, that's a commitment. And from that commitment, something lasting was built.

Construction of a church building began in 1878, and it was dedicated on November 1, 1879. The cemetery was established by 1880. The church incorporated in 1888.

Then came a renovation in 1929. A new sanctuary was built and dedicated September 29, 1968, and after that, the original church building was disassembled and rebuilt by the Christian Faith Church members of Bellville, where it remains today. The bones of that first building are still standing, just somewhere else.

Now, this congregation carries a distinction worth sayin out loud. The Industry Brethren Church is the third oldest congregation of the Unity of the Brethren. Third oldest.

In a faith tradition that crossed continents, this little community in Industry holds that place in the line. The cemetery itself has worn more than one name over the years. It was originally referred to as the Bohemian Moravian Evangelical Reformed Church Cemetery, and also as the Czech-Moravian Cemetery, short for Evangelical Unity of the Czech-Moravian Brethren of North America.

Long names for a quiet piece of ground. That ground holds more than two hundred graves. The oldest belong to L. and Rosalie Marek, dating to 1880.

A picket fence was constructed around the cemetery in the 1930s. And in 1966, church members agreed to exchange 0.367 acres of land with a man named Robert Spiess to enlarge it, because two hundred graves and countin requires room. At least twenty-one veterans are buried here.

The earliest of those burials belong to Ernst Maeckel, Bennie Dockal, and John Ripple, Jr. And then there are the headstones with verses written in Czech. When translated, they are beautiful.

The marker singles out one: Jan Coufal, born 1842, died 1902. Whatever words mark his grave, the people who recorded this history thought them worth mentioning. That's a quiet kind of immortality.

A faith born in Moravia, carried to Texas, tended by nine families, and now resting beneath more than two hundred headstones, some of them whispering in Czech to anyone who takes the time to listen. That's Industry, Texas, and that's the Brethren.

What the marker says

INDUSTRY BRETHREN CHURCH CEMETERY THE INDUSTRY BRETHREN CHURCH IS THE THIRD OLDEST CONGREGATION OF THE UNITY OF THE BRETHREN LOCATED IN THE GERMAN SETTLEMENT OF INDUSTRY. PERIODIC WORSHIP SERVICES WERE CONDUCTED IN INDUSTRY BEGINNING IN 1860. THE REV. JOSEF OPOCENSKY WAS THE FIRST MINISTER TO SERVE THE CONGREGATION, MOVING TO INDUSTRY FROM FAYETTEVILLE IN 1860. IN 1875 THE REV. LUDVIK CHLUMSKY ORGANIZED THE CHURCH WITH NINE CHARTER FAMILIES. THE BRETHREN CHURCH IS A CONGREGATION BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES ORIGINATED FROM AN AREA EAST OF BOHEMIA IN THE STATE OF MORAVIA IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA. CONSTRUCTION OF A CHURCH BUILDING BEGAN IN 1878 AND WAS DEDICATED ON NOVEMBER 1, 1879. THE CEMETERY WAS ESTABLISHED BY 1880, AND THE CHURCH INCORPORATED IN 1888. THE CHURCH WAS RENOVATED IN 1929. A NEW SANCTUARY WAS BUILT AND DEDICATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1968. AFTER THAT THE ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING WAS DISASSEMBLED AND REBUILT BY THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHURCH MEMBERS OF BELLVILLE WHERE IT REMAINS. IN 1966, IT WAS AGREED BY CHURCH MEMBERS TO EXCHANGE 0.367 ACRES OF LAND WITH ROBERT SPIESS FOR ENLARGING OF THE CEMETERY. THE INDUSTRY BRETHREN CHURCH CEMETERY HAS MORE THAN 200 GRAVES, WITH THE OLDEST BEING IN 1880 OF L. AND ROSALIE MAREK. SOME OF THE HEADSTONES HAVE VERSES WRITTEN IN CZECH THAT WHEN TRANSLATED ARE BEAUTIFUL, AS IS THE CASE OF JAN COUFAL (1842-1902). THE PICKET FENCE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1930s. THERE ARE AT LEAST TWENTY-ONE VETERANS BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY WITH ERNST MAECKEL, BENNIE DOCKAL AND JOHN RIPPLE, JR. BEING THE EARLIEST BURIALS. THIS CEMETERY WAS ORIGINALLY REFERRED TO AS THE BOHEMIAN MORAVIAN EVANGELICAL REFORMED CHURCH CEMETERY AND THE CZECH-MORAVIAN CEMETERY, SHORT FOR EVANGELICAL UNITY OF THE CZECH-MORAVIAN BRETHREN OF NORTH AMERICA.