DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about K.J.T. St. Wenceslaus Society No. 40, right here in Wharton County.
Now, if you want to understand East Bernard, you've got to go back to the 1880s, when Czech settlers started arriving in this part of Texas. They came, they stayed, and they built something lasting — not just homes and farms, but community. To support Texas Czechs of the Catholic faith, residents of a place called Bluff, also known as Hostyn, established an organization in 1889.
They called it the Katolická Jednota Texasská — the Czech Catholic Union of Texas. Most folks just called it the K.J.T. It provided insurance and other member benefits, and it gave Texas Czech Catholics a foundation to stand on together.
Then in 1905, the men of East Bernard's Holy Cross Catholic parish decided they needed a chapter of their own. They organized K.J.T. St.
Wenceslaus Society No. 40. Seven charter members put their names to it: August E. Morris, R.W.
Brandl, Frank Toman, John J. Vacek, Frank Polak, John Skalicky, and John Slovak. Seven names worth remembering.
By 1913, the society had constructed a large hall right here at this site. It became a social center — conventions, bazaars, all manner of events rolling through its doors. The kind of place a community breathes through.
And then, in 1939, the hall burned. Now, you might think that'd be the end of it. It was not.
The members went out and purchased Riverside Hall — a building that had been built in 1925, sitting east of town on the east bank of the San Bernard River. And this was no ordinary structure. It was a large round building, with a tall central pole helping support a circular ceiling and great big roof beams fanning out above.
You walked in and you knew you were somewhere. Over the next decades, Riverside Hall drew crowds. We're talking big band acts, polka, country and western, rock and roll — the whole sweep of American music passing through that circular room.
And in the late 1970s, thousands of people turned out for the klobase-kolache festivals held right at that site. Thousands. That's not a small-town gathering — that's a destination.
Then 1986 arrived, and fire came calling again. The Riverside building was destroyed. Again, you might think that'd do it.
And again, it did not. In 1987, the K.J.T. built a new hall. Because that is apparently what this organization does — it endures.
Today, K.J.T. St. Wenceslaus Society No. 40 counts more than five hundred members, and membership is now open to both men and women.
It still offers insurance. It offers clergy retirement benefits, youth activities, scholarships, and more. It remains a social force in East Bernard.
Seven charter members in 1905. Two halls lost to fire. One community that keeps on building.
That's the story this marker is telling, and it's a good one.
What the marker says
Beginning in the 1880s, Czech settlers came to this area, contributing to the development of East Bernard. To supprt Texas Czechs of the Catholic faith, residents of Bluff (Hostyn) established the Katolická Jednota Texasská, or Czech Catholic Union of Texas, in 1889. Known as the K.J.T., the group provided insurance and other member benefits. In 1905, men of East Bernard's Holy Cross Catholic parish organized a local chapter, K.J.T. St. Wenceslaus Society No. 40. Charter members were August E. Morris, R.W. Brandl, Frank Toman, John J. Vacek, Frank Polak, John Skalicky and John Slovak. By 1913, the group constructed a large hall at this site. It became a social center, with activities including conventions, bazaars and other events. The hall burned in 1939, and the members purchased Riverside Hall, built in 1925 east of town on the east bank of the San Bernard River. The large round structure had a tall central pole that helped support the circular ceiling and large roof beams. Over the next decades, Riverside Hall drew crowds to see acts that ranged from big band and polka musical acts to country and western and rock and roll performers. Thousands of people attended the klobase-kolache festivals held at the site in the late 1970s. In 1986, a fire destroyed the Riverside building. The K.J.T. built a new hall in 1987, and the group remains a social force in East Bernard, with more than 500 members. Now open to both men and women for membership, it offers insurance and clergy retirement benefits, youth activities and scholarships, and a host of other services. (2006)