The Czech-Slovak Protective Society (CSPS), which became the Czecho Slovakian Association, was an organization supporting the welfare of

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

and Slovak immigrants to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The Czech-Slovak Protective Society started as an insurance services organization. It was once the largest Czech-American freethought fraternity in the United States.

History

The CSPS was founded in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, in 1854, and, like other immigrant societies, began by offering a kind of insurance program, which provided for members when they were ill and covered funeral expenses. with It was the "largest Bohemian fraternal organization". The Czecho-Slovak Protective Society, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, joined in organizing the Czechoslovak Society of America in 1933. That organization, based in

Lombard, Illinois Lombard is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. The population was 43,165 at the 2010 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2019 to be 44,303. History Originally part of ...

changed its name to CSA Fraternal Life in 1982. Č.S.P.S. stands for "Česko-Slovenský Podporující Spolek" (Czech-Slovak Protective Society). These lodges were the forerunner of the (Západní Česko-Bratrská Jednota, or Western Bohemian Fraternal Association). Both associations offered a type of insurance for the Czech people. The association later became known as the

Western Fraternal Life Association The Western Fraternal Life Association, previously known as ''Zapadni Ceska Bratrska Jednota'' ( en, Western Bohemian Fraternal Association) is a friendly society, fraternal benefit society and financial services organization in the United States ...

Local lodges

*The first CSPS lodge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was started in 1879, and two more were started by 1882. The C.S.P.S. Hall (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), was built during 1890-91 and expanded twice in the next two decades. It is NRHP-listed in 1978. with *The Grand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore was founded in 1880. The associated Bohemian National Cemetery, in Baltimore, Maryland, was started in 1884, and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

(NRHP). *The C.S.P.S. of Iowa City, Iowa, was organized in 1882 and built its Czecho Slovakian Association Hall in 1900. The hall was listed on the NRHP in 1975. with *The C.S.P.S. of Saint Paul, Minnesota built its C.S.P.S. hall in 1887; it is also NRHP-listed. * Narodni Sin, Edwardsville, Illinois, built 1906, NRHP-listed * Czech Hall, Yukon, Oklahoma, built 1925, NRHP-listed * CSPS Lodge-Griesser Bakery, built 1890, in Bryan, Texas, NRHP-listed

References

Defunct organizations based in Missouri Diaspora organizations in the United States . . Ethnic fraternal orders in the United States Organizations established in 1854 Organizations disestablished in 1933 1854 establishments in Missouri 1854 establishments in the United States 1933 disestablishments in the United States {{US-org-stub