Olivia

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the voice carryin' it down the road. The community of Olivia, out in Calhoun County, was established in 1892, and here's how a patch of Texas coastline became home to a little piece of Sweden. The Rev.

Carl J. E. Haterius, a Swedish Lutheran minister, bought land in the area.

Then he did something that takes a certain kind of faith, or maybe just a certain kind of nerve. He advertised a new settlement to Swedish immigrants living clear up in the Midwest. The community was named for his wife, Olivia Haterius, and that name went out into the world attached to a promise.

Twelve Swedish families answered that first advertisement and made the move. Others followed in the years after, and by 1900 a number of non-Swedish families had settled in Olivia as well. So the town grew, one family at a time, building itself up on the edge of Carancahua Bay.

Now, the very first public building in Olivia was a one-room schoolhouse, and that little building carried more weight than its walls might suggest. Children were taught there during the day. Their parents came back at night, to learn English.

Think about that for a moment. Same building, same benches, two generations learning in opposite directions. The Eden Lutheran Church held its services in that schoolhouse too, until 1910, when a sanctuary was finally built to give the congregation a proper home.

Meanwhile, commerce was finding its footing. John Lind built the first store in the community, right on Carancahua Bay, in 1894. The post office set up inside Lind's store, and mail came through once a week.

Once a week, word from the outside world, from family still up in the Midwest, maybe, or from wherever a person had left behind. In 1900, Lind moved his store to the center of the townsite. Then in 1906, another Swedish immigrant named Edward Wilson bought the Olivia store and was appointed postmaster.

By that point the town had filled in considerably. A hotel. A doctor's office.

A grocery store. A blacksmith shop. A cotton gin.

That is a community with its sleeves rolled up. Since 1900, Olivia has changed and grown, the marker tells us, but it retains its proud Swedish heritage. Twelve families answered an advertisement, and they built something that is still standing.

What the marker says

Established in 1892, the community of Olivia was named for Olivia Haterius, wife of the Rev. Carl J. E. Haterius, a Swedish Lutheran minister who bought land in the area and advertised a new settlement to other Swedish immigrants in the Midwest. Twelve Swedish families responded to the initial advertisement and moved to Olivia with others following in a few years By 1900 a number of non-Swedish families had settled here, as well. The first public building in Olivia was a one-room schoolhouse where children were taught during the day and parents attended classes at night to learn English. The Eden Lutheran Church held services in the schoolhouse until 1910, when a sanctuary was built. John Lind built the first store in the community on Carancahua Bay in 1894. The post office was housed in Lind's store and mail was delivered once a week. Lind moved his store to the center of the townsite in 1900. In 1906 Edward Wilson, another Swedish immigrant, bought the Olivia store and was appointed postmaster. Other businesses included a hotel, doctor's office, grocery store, blacksmith shop, and cotton gin. Since 1900 the thriving community has changed and grown, but retains its proud Swedish heritage. (1992)