Wallis in Austin County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Guardian Angel Catholic Church
Photographed by James Hulse, March 8, 2021
1. Guardian Angel Catholic Church Marker
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
Erected
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.
Location. 29° 37.468′ N, 96° 3.305′ W. Marker is in Wallis, Texas, in Austin County. It is on Demel Street 0.1 miles south of South 9th Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5610 Demel Street, Wallis TX 77485, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Wallis State Bank (approx. 0.7 miles away); Wallis Independent (approx. 0.9 miles away); J.O. Williams School (approx. 0.9 miles away); Wallis Methodist Church (approx. one mile away); Wallis High School (approx. one mile away); St. Paul Lutheran Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); Wallis Memorial Nature Park (approx. 1.3 miles away); William Henry & Lydia Ann English Guyler (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wallis.
Photographed by James Hulse, March 8, 2021
2. Guardian Angel Catholic Church and Marker
The marker is facing sideways to the front of the Church.
Photographed by James Hulse, March 8, 2021
3. The front of the Guardian Angel Catholic Church
Photographed by James Hulse, March 8, 2021
4. The side view of the Guardian Angel Catholic Church
Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 754 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 13, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
