| Marker Number |
2301 |
| Atlas Number |
5015002301 |
| Marker Title |
Guardian Angel Catholic Church |
| Index Entry |
Guardian Angel Catholic Church |
| Address |
5610 Demel St. |
| City |
Wallis |
| County |
Austin |
| UTM Zone |
14 |
| UTM Easting |
785159 |
| UTM Northing |
3280794 |
| Subject Codes |
churches; Catholic denomination; Czech immigrants/immigration; schools |
| Marker Year |
1994 |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
No |
| Marker Location |
Guardian Angel Catholic Church, E side Demel Street 400 feet SE of S. 9th Street |
| Private Property |
No |
| Marker Condition |
In Situ |
| Marker Size |
27" x 42" |
| Marker Text |
This congregation was organized in 1892 by several Czech families who had relocated from Fayette County, Texas, to an area about 3 miles southeast of Wallis, Texas. The congregation held services in the Krasna School building which was located on four acres donated by Francis V. Smid in 1892.
At the suggestion of the bishop of the Diocese of Galveston, church members erected a sanctuary in 1899 at a site closer to the railroad at Wallis. The congregation held their first services on Easter Sunday and named their church "Guardian Angel."
The church building was destroyed in the storm of 1900, but rebuilt in 1904 after a determined effort by the small congregation. The Rev. Frank Machan became the first full-time pastor in 1909. In 1913 a new Gothic-style sanctuary was built at this site to accommodate a growing congregation. In 1914 a school was established with an enrollment of 64 students. By 1933 the school consisted of six teachers and 170 students and the parish had grown to 300 families.
The congregation serves the community of Wallis and a number of rural communities in the area with a variety of outreach programs. The church continues to be an important element of the area's heritage. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995 |
