Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
SPJST Lodge Hall
Buckholts, TX
Buckholts, TX
SH 36
Erected 2009
SVORNOST JIHU!
Rockdale Reporter,
July 23, 2009
photos by Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter
It’s Czech, it means ‘southern unity’ and it’s the official name of the Buckholts SPJST Lodge No. 15’s hall which received the Texas Historical Commission’s highest honor on Sunday. Buckholts residents E. J. and Joyce Provasek, umbrellas shielding them against the 105-degree heat, were two of about 150 persons attending the afternoon and evening of activities which featured unveiling of a THC Recorded Texas Landmark marker. For more photos, story and to see what SPJST stands for, see Page 6C.
Rockdale Reporter,
July 23, 2009
photos by Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter
It’s Czech, it means ‘southern unity’ and it’s the official name of the Buckholts SPJST Lodge No. 15’s hall which received the Texas Historical Commission’s highest honor on Sunday. Buckholts residents E. J. and Joyce Provasek, umbrellas shielding them against the 105-degree heat, were two of about 150 persons attending the afternoon and evening of activities which featured unveiling of a THC Recorded Texas Landmark marker. For more photos, story and to see what SPJST stands for, see Page 6C.
Doug Williams Sr., SPJST Lodge 15 president, was master of ceremonies for marker dedication ceremony Sunday at Buckholts
Photo: Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter
Photo: Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter
Buckholts SPJST gets top marker
Rockdale Reporter, July 23, 2009
Page 6C photos by Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter
Buckholts SPJST Lodge No. 15’s Hall has quite a history. The current hall, the third, was built in 1936 after thieves burned down the previous one in an attempt to distract the population of Buckholts while they attempted to rob the bank.
For the past 73 years the distinctive octagonal-shape building has been a Milam County landmark and a site for dances, political meetings, barbecues, receptions and many forms of entertainment. On Sunday about 150 persons, including many longtime members, dedicated a Texas Historical Commission Recorded Landmark marker.
That’s the highest THC award for a building. There are only nine in Milam County, including the county courthouse which dedicated its marker on July Fourth.
Master of ceremonies Doug Williams Sr. presided over ceremonies which included the playing of “Taps” by Trenton Glaser and an invocation by Rev. Gary Kleypas.
Hal Senkel, mayor of Buckholts, welcomed the crowd. Speakers were Brian Vanicek, Supreme SPJST Lodge president and Melanie Zavodny, editor of the Vestnik Herald.
Bobby Wuensche, SPJST District Two director, presented membership pins and an appreciation award and delivered closing remarks.
Lodge 15 officers are: Williams, president; Derrick Ruzicka, vice-president; Dorothy Tomascik, vice-president; Sandie Fischer, secretary-financial secretary.
Organizers expressed appreciation to the Milam County Historical Commission, Jackie Thornton, Dee Dee Green and Geri Burnett, and also to Steph McDougal and the Preservation Society of Old Dance Halls.
SPJST stands for Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas (Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas), a fraternal society that promotes social activities and insurance benefits for members.
Rockdale Reporter, July 23, 2009
Page 6C photos by Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter
Buckholts SPJST Lodge No. 15’s Hall has quite a history. The current hall, the third, was built in 1936 after thieves burned down the previous one in an attempt to distract the population of Buckholts while they attempted to rob the bank.
For the past 73 years the distinctive octagonal-shape building has been a Milam County landmark and a site for dances, political meetings, barbecues, receptions and many forms of entertainment. On Sunday about 150 persons, including many longtime members, dedicated a Texas Historical Commission Recorded Landmark marker.
That’s the highest THC award for a building. There are only nine in Milam County, including the county courthouse which dedicated its marker on July Fourth.
Master of ceremonies Doug Williams Sr. presided over ceremonies which included the playing of “Taps” by Trenton Glaser and an invocation by Rev. Gary Kleypas.
Hal Senkel, mayor of Buckholts, welcomed the crowd. Speakers were Brian Vanicek, Supreme SPJST Lodge president and Melanie Zavodny, editor of the Vestnik Herald.
Bobby Wuensche, SPJST District Two director, presented membership pins and an appreciation award and delivered closing remarks.
Lodge 15 officers are: Williams, president; Derrick Ruzicka, vice-president; Dorothy Tomascik, vice-president; Sandie Fischer, secretary-financial secretary.
Organizers expressed appreciation to the Milam County Historical Commission, Jackie Thornton, Dee Dee Green and Geri Burnett, and also to Steph McDougal and the Preservation Society of Old Dance Halls.
SPJST stands for Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas (Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas), a fraternal society that promotes social activities and insurance benefits for members.
Frank Tomascik (L) and Frank Klinkovski unveiled marker.
Tomascik was a carpenter when the lodge hall was constructed in 1936 and remembers hauling in lumber from the railroad depot for 35 cents an hour, a good wage at the time.
Photo: Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter
Tomascik was a carpenter when the lodge hall was constructed in 1936 and remembers hauling in lumber from the railroad depot for 35 cents an hour, a good wage at the time.
Photo: Mike Brown, Rockdale Reporter