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The three-acre tract of land that was the Polish settlement of Polonia was deeded to Bishop John Neraz of the Catholic Diocese of San Antonio in 1894 by Joseph and Veronica Dzierzanowski. The community was founded one year after the death of Simon Dzierzanowski (1853-1896), who was the first to be buried in his family's cemetery on this site. The settlement once boasted a cotton gin, blacksmith shop, general store, and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Schools for both English and Spanish speaking students were built. The Polish population retained many traditions from their homeland. Polonia declined in the late 1930s because of a failing farm economy. The Catholic church was razed in 1939. The Dzierzanowski Family Cemetery, now Polonia Community Cemetery, is the last reminder of the once vibrant village. Twenty-five percent of those buried in the cemetery are veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The first known families of Polonia, settling near this site from 1891, were Bienek, Boniewiez, Bonkowski, Dedek, Dikowski, Dykowski, Dzierzanowski, Foerster, Foryszewski, Grabarkewitz, Kalinowski, Krzgwosinski, Levandowski, Malinowski, Petroski, Pieniazek, Reisner, Scholwinski, Slawinski, Urbanski, Wacluwczyk, Wisniewski, Zaleski, Zarrasky, Zawadski, and Zolewski. (1998) |
