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Residents of the Velehrad community, who were mostly immigrants from Moravia, created this cemetery to serve their burial needs. Filip Bucek, a Czech resident of the community, envisioned the idea of creating a national cemetery, but he passed away in 1877 before the burial ground was established. Family tradition says Filip was buried in Praha and later reinterred here. The earliest known burial in this cemetery is that of his wife, Johana Bucek, in 1878. Among those buried here are founders and members o fthe SPJST (Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas), a Czech fraternal benefit society established in 1897. Ferdinand Breska, the first vice president of the SPJST, is buried here. The local SPJST lodge was located near the burial ground, and members conducted funeral services for many of those buried in Velehrad Cemetery. The decline of the cemetery coincided with the end of World War II, when many Velehrad residents moved away from the community. The cemetery stands as a reminder of the Czech Moravian community established here more than 100 years ago. The SPJST continues to care for the graveyard. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2005 |
