Danevang is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in southern Wharton County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The rural community is located south of El Campo on State Highway 71 (SH 71). The community's church was still open in 2013.

History

The town was founded in 1894, mostly by

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

who migrated from the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern c ...

. An

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

stands on the church's lawn, chronicling the community's triumphs and tragedies. Tombstones in the local cemetery are almost entirely Danish. Danevang has been given the nickname "Danish Capital of Texas".A symbolic "capital" designated by the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

, listed in
Official Capital Designations
'', Texas State Library and Archives Commission, accessed July 3, 2008

Geography

Danevang is on SH 71 at County Road 424, a distance of south of El Campo and north of

Midfield In many sports, midfield is the part of a sports field that is near the line that is equally far from the end lines. That is, in American football it is the part of the field near the 50-yard line; in association football (soccer) and field hoc ...

Matagorda County Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County i ...

. Near the crossroads are a US post office, several agricultural storage buildings, and several dwellings. The Danish Heritage Museum is to the south at the junction of SH 71 and FM 441. The Danevang Lutheran Church is a short distance to the east of the museum on County Road 426. Land under agriculture surrounds the homes and other buildings at the site. Danevang is also located south of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

, and southwest of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Danevang has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Danevang, Texas
/ref>

Education

Danevang's first school opened in 1895 and students were taught the

Danish language Danish (, ; , ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language from the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark. Communities of Danish speakers are a ...

and the country's history. Today, the community is served by the

El Campo Independent School District The El Campo Independent School District is a public school district based in El Campo, Texas, United States. The district serves El Campo as well as rural areas in central and south central Wharton County. In 2009, the school district was ...

Notable person

* Heinie Kirkgard, football player, was born in Danevang.

Media

* KKHA is stationed in Danevang.

References

{{authority control Danish-American history Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Wharton County, Texas Populated places established in 1895 1895 establishments in Texas