DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the site of Moravia School, out in Williamson County. Now, every good story starts somewhere, and this one starts with a valley — the Vsetin Valley, to be exact, in what is now the Czech Republic. In the mid-nineteenth century, Moravian immigrants started making their way into Central Texas, drawn by fertile soil and the oldest hope there is: a better life somewhere new.
One of those hopeful souls was Pavel Machu, born in 1834. In 1870, Pavel loaded up his wife Rozina — she was a Trlica before she was a Machu — and their three children, and he came to Texas. They put down roots first in Austin County.
But Pavel Machu was not a man who stopped moving until he found the right place, and by 1880 the family had settled in Williamson County. Then, in 1884, Machu did something that says a great deal about a man. He donated three acres of his own farm — his land, his livelihood — for a community school.
And he named it for his native land: Moravia. Now, land alone does not build a schoolhouse. That took S.E.
Montgomery, who donated funds for the lumber and then went ahead and built the thing himself — one room, four walls, a place where children could learn and neighbors could gather for church services and community activities alike. Moravia School opened in 1884, replacing the earlier Dykes School that sat about a mile to the south. Charles Lord stepped in as the first headmaster, and just like that, a farming settlement had its beating heart.
The school kept on. In 1903, Moravia became Common School District No. 83 — official, on the books, recognized. It served the dispersed farming families of the area, pulling folks together for social and religious gatherings as much as for reading and arithmetic.
Then in 1922, the trustees decided one room wasn't going to cut it anymore, and they enlarged the schoolhouse to two rooms, making space for grades one through eight. For high school, older students made their way into Granger. But the 1930s brought hard times to farming country all across Texas, and the population thinned out.
Schools started closing across the area, one by one. Moravia held on longer than most — it didn't close until 1945. The district formally merged with Granger Independent School District in 1949.
And here is where the story takes one more turn. The Moravia schoolhouse wasn't torn down. It was moved — picked up and carried into Granger, to the site of Crispus Attucks High School, the African American school serving that community.
The old pioneer schoolhouse sat there until 1964, when Attucks integrated with the other Granger schools. A one-room schoolhouse built on donated land by a Czech immigrant in 1884, carrying the name of his homeland, winds up standing beside a school named for a Revolutionary War hero — and together they witness the arc of a century's worth of change. The site of that original schoolhouse stands now as a reminder of the rich cultural history rooted in this corner of Williamson County.
Pavel Machu gave three acres and a name. The land remembers.
What the marker says
Site of Moravia School In the mid-nineteenth century, Moravian immigrants began moving into Central Texas, attracted by fertile soils and the hope for better lives. One who settled here was Pavel Machu (1834-1907), a native of the Vsetin Valley in what is now the Czech republic. Machu came to Texas in 1870 with his wife, Rozina (Trlica), and their three children, settling first in Austin County. By 1880, the family resided in Williamson County and, in 1884, Machu donated three acres of his farm for a community school that was named for his native land. S.E. Montgomery donated funds for lumber and built the one-room schoolhouse, which also provided meeting space for church services and community activities. Moravia School opened in 1884, replacing the earlier Dykes School (1 mi. S). Charles Lord served as the first headmaster. Moravia became Common School District No. 83 in 1903. It continued to serve the dispersed farming settlement and was a focal point for social and religious gatherings. In 1922, trustees enlarged the schoolhouse to two rooms, providing space for grades one through eight. Older students attended high school in Granger. By the 1930s, the declining agricultural population resulted in the closing of several area schools, and Moravia closed in 1945. The district formally merged with Granger Independent School District in 1949, and the Moravia schoolhouse was soon moved to Granger to the site of Crispus Attucks High School. There it remained until 1964, when the African American Attucks school integrated with other Granger schools. The site of the pioneer schoolhouse now serves as an important reminder of the area's rich cultural history. (2003)