Panna Maria ( Polish for ''

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

''; ) is a small

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 Karnes County,

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 ...

, United States. It is the oldest Polish settlement in the United States.

History

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

, Father Leopold Moczygemba, started recruiting

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

ns in 1852, when

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

belonged to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

. The immigrants began arriving at Indianola in early December 1854. With carts to haul them inland being scarce, the immigrants walked to their land grants near

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

and the town was settled on Christmas Eve in 1854. The town's identity as an insular Polish enclave was sealed by four factors: #Bypassed by the

railroads Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

# Union in sympathy (Settlers were also unionist and were occasionally massacred in Texas during this period) #Polish Resurrectionist priests arrived from Europe #A sisterhood of Polish teaching nuns was established The Texas Silesian dialect has continued to be spoken for several generations. The Panna Maria Historic District is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

References

External links

Official website of Panna Maria, Texas"Panna Maria" ''Handbook of Texas Online''.Stanley S. (1976). ''In Quest of a Cultural Identity: An Inquiry for the Polish Community.'' New York, New York: IUME, Teachers College, Columbia University. ISBN ERIC ED167674.THE EARLY HISTORY OF PANNA MARIA, TEXAS by Thomas Lindsay Baker
* {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Texas Polish-American culture in Texas Silesian-American culture in Texas Silesian-American history Silesian emigrants to the United States Populated places established in 1854 Unincorporated communities in Karnes County, Texas Polish communities in the United States 1854 establishments in Texas

History

See also

References

External links