WENDISH

St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Serbin, Texas.  This church was completed in 1871.  The interior includes a balcony extending all around the church with the pulpit nearly 20 feet above the lower floor.  When the church was built the men sat in the balcony and the women sat in pews on the floor.  This church is one of the oldest continually operating churches in America.

In December of 1854 a sailing ship arrived in Galveston, Texas bringing about 500 immigrants from Lusatia, an area in eastern Germany.  These immigrants were different from the other immigrants who were Germans, Swedes, Czechs and Poles.  They did not come to Texas because of the lack of land or the lack of money. They came because they wanted to live in an area that they could practice their religion and speak their language. 

After facing terrible diseases during their journey and shortly after they arrived in Galveston they finally were able to travel to their new home.  They traveled west by oxcart and settled in Lee County, near Giddings, Texas.  The Wends purchased land for $1.00 an acre.  Their first winter was very hard and food was difficult to find.   Many of the settlers lived in dugouts and log cabins.  Eventually they were able to build larger homes.

As the Wendish people spread out through Texas their culture and language disappeared.