DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says, right here in Lavaca County. Now settle in, because this one starts the way a lot of good Texas stories do — with people making do with what they've got. Early German and Czech settlers out here in Lavaca County didn't have a church of their own.
So they did what people do: they gathered in private homes, or they made the trip to Hallettsville or Moulton when worship called. That went on until 1890, when a new mission arrived in Shiner, brought by the Reverend John Anthony Forest. And the name he gave that new congregation — Saints Cyril and Methodius — that name reaches all the way back to the ninth century, to two Greek missionaries who carried Christianity to Slovakian-Moravian central Europeans.
That's the lineage these settlers were claiming for themselves. Not a small thing. In 1891, the congregation acquired two acres right here at this site, and by May of that same year, they had a frame sanctuary standing.
Two acres and a church. Done. Now, you might think that's where the story settles into something peaceful.
You would be wrong. February of 1892, a tornado came through and caused extensive damage to that original structure. But here's what you need to know about this congregation — they rebuilt.
And they didn't just patch it back together. They rebuilt on a larger scale. Time kept moving.
The congregation kept growing. By 1912, they were designated a full parish. And still they outgrew the space.
So in 1920 and 1921, they built this. The structure you're looking at was designed by F. Wahrenburger, and it was raised by volunteer laborers — neighbors building something that would outlast all of them — led by the Reverend F.
X. Wolf. What they built is an outstanding example of Romanesque revival architecture.
Stained glass windows imported all the way from Munich, Germany. Cut stone detailing in the pinnacles and the buttresses. An arcaded front portico.
And that tower — square base, octagonal spire — just soaring up into the Lavaca County sky. Inside, a magnificent painted interior that stops people cold when they walk through the door. Since 1983, it's been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
What started as Sunday gatherings in somebody's front room is now a landmark that belongs to the whole country. That's not a small thing either.
What the marker says
Early German and Czech settlers in this area of Lavaca County attended Catholic worship services in private homes or at churches in Hallettsville or Moulton until 1890, when a new mission was established in Shiner by the Rev. John Anthony Forest. The new congregation was named for 9th-century Greek Missionaries Cyril and Methodius, who converted Slovakian-Moravian central Europeans to Christianity. The members acquired two acres of land at this site in 1891, and a frame sanctuary was completed in May of that year. In February 1892 a tornado caused extensive damage to the original church structure, but it was rebuilt on a larger scale. Designated a parish in 1912, the growing congregation soon needed larger facilities. This structure, designed by F. Wahrenburger, was built in 1920-21 by volunteer laborers led by the Rev. F. X. Wolf. An outstanding example of the Romanesque revival style of architecture, it features stained glass windows imported from Munich, Germany; cut stone detailing in the pinnacles and buttresses; an arcaded front portico; and a soaring, square tower with octagonal spire. Listed in the National Register of Historic places since 1983, it also features a magnificent painted interior. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1990