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WESLEY, TEXAS
Washington County,
Central Texas S
FM 2502 and FM 332
8 miles SW of Brenham
On the Austin county line
Population:
60 (estimate)
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Texas
Painted Church:
The Wesley Brethren Church and graveyard
Photo by John Troesser, 8-04 |
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Wesley is an Anglicization of the Czech word "Veseli" (Joyous).
In 1859 the first Czech school in Texas was founded here. The Reverend
Josef Opocensky organized the first Czech Protestant and Moravian
Brethren congregation in North America in 1864. In 1867 a post office
were established.
The painted ceilings and interior date from 1889.
The population of Wesley reached its peak in 1930 with 200 people,
but by the late 1950s it had declined to only 60 - where it stands
today. The town has no center or businesses. |
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The
Wesley Brethren Church, erected in 1886, served as a school between
1866 and 1900 and is now is on the National Register of Historic Places
Photo by John Troesser, 8-04 |
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The
weathervane on the restored steeple
Photo by John Troesser, 8-04 |
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