‘Czeching’ In With Our Roving Reporter

This week finds me in Sealy, founded in 1879 and named in honor of George Sealy, a director of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad.

As Sealy established itself as a business center, many residents and businesses moved from San Felipe to the growing community. Daniel Haynes, a local, invented a process and a machine to manufacture felted cotton, non-tufted mattresses. He trademarked his product under his name but later sold the business to owners who changed the name to Sealy Haynes.

Interestingly, the city was not incorporated until 1949. In recent years, Sealy’s population has grown—from 6,832 in 2020 to 7,243 in 2023, a 6 percent jump. With its close proximity via I-10 to Houston, many residents earn their livelihoods in H-Town.

Sealy is still a clean, viable, largely Czech heritage community. “My Place,” a downtown landmark (Preibisch Building circa 1867) that has been featured in a number of movies and TV commercials, is now Saddleback Saloon. Years ago, It was second home to old men sitting inside around tables, at the bar, or most often outside on benches under its overhanging roof playing dominos and drinking “Pivo” (Czech for beer). The images of those old men dressed in khaki shirts and pants, black shoes, with palm braid straw hats in the summer and silver belly felt in cooler months are etched in my mind as a treasured memory.

From Sealy, I dipped south through the old Czech community of Frydek (its population has grown a bit as well) before landing in East Bernard, just 22 miles west of Rosenberg. East Bernard was a real surprise and seems quite viable with solid population growth (2,240 as of last year). It’s home to both a Ford and a Chevrolet dealership, one of Shoppa’s largest John Deere farm equipment locations, and a relatively new subdivision, Harvest Landing, that appeared to have 50 to 70 newer homes. There’s also a large hardware store and farm supply center. Most importantly for Baby Boomers, Riverside Hall—once home to live band dances featuring popular musicians like Roy Head and the Traits and Grammy Award-winner BJ Thomas—is still standing and in good repair and still hosts dances and events.  

Continuing west on 90A took me to Eagle Lake. The town can trace its roots back to 1821 when two scouts for Stephen F. Austin named the lake “Laguna de Aquila” after killing an eagle. In 1838, Patrick Reels was granted 2,391 acres on the lake’s shore. The first of three rail lines arrived in 1859, and, in 1888, Eagle Lake was incorporated as a city. Recent Census stats show Eagle Lake’s population growing slightly to 3,508, and a new bank building is being built (perhaps a sign of increasing economic activity). Johnny’s Sport Shop is still thriving and a mecca for outdoorsmen.

The Eagle Lake area is between the Katy/Brookshire and Lissie prairies and is home to the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge. The tall grass prairies and rice farms from Eagle Lake toward Garwood, Hungerford, and Wharton are the remaining remnants of the great waterfowl (duck and goose) flyway that was emblematic of the Katy/Brookshire prairie. Massive development between Houston and Brookshire have pretty much converted the rice farms to residential, commercial, and industrial development. The Katy Prairie Conservancy has set aside a relatively small preserve. As Katy completely merged with Houston, the most prominent sign of geese there today are the gleaming metal statues of Greater Canadian and Snow Geese at the intersection of Katy Mills Mall Road and old Hwy 90.

Located right on I-10 and a bend in the Colorado River is the town of Columbus. Roughly 65 miles west of Houston, it sits atop a small rise of land that was once the legendary Indian Village of Montezuma. Members of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred began arriving there in 1821. Settlers moving from Washington on the Brazos continued to trickle into the area, and by 1823 a small community had formed. It became known as Beeson’s Ford, named for a settler who operated a ferry there. The town is rich in history as Sam Houston camped there in 1836 during the Runaway Scrape as he retreated from Gonzales to San Jacinto. He had the town burned to the ground. It was rebuilt over many years. In 1927, the population rose to 3,100 but declined during the Great Depression and did not rise above 3,000 until the mid-1950s. Recent Census data reveal population growth from 3,669 in 2020 to 3,987 in 2023. There are a couple of new high-end small developments north of the river and evidence of restoration and remodeling in town. It has a rich collection of charming historic homes built in the 1800s, and the Magnolia Homes Tour, organized in 1961, still operates to preserve and promote that rich heritage. Columbus appears to be attracting today’s urban pioneers, being within an hour or so of Houston’s outer perimeter.

Heading further west on 90 Alternate, I reached Hallettsville. Stephen F. Austin’s influence continued here. John Hallet received a land grant from Austin in 1831. After his death, his wife donated the land in 1836 to establish the townsite. It is the county seat of Lavaca County, and the present courthouse built in 1897 is listed on the National Register of Historic places. Sparkling clean, the little town has enjoyed solid population growth. Between Eagle Lake and Hallettsville there is evidence of investment in rural land (new fences and improvements like ponds and restoration of native flora and fauna). There are scattered new homes likely built by urban escapees. Hallettsville retains its character and integrity, something often seen in towns with Czech and German descendants.

From there, I turned north to Schulenburg, ending my session on the road. Founded in 1873 and, like Hallettsville, settled by German, Austrian, and Czech setters, Schulenburg has experienced modest but positive population growth, from 2,640 in 2020 to 2,783 in 2023. Schulenburg lost an iconic 1960s road stop (Bob Adamcik’s Cafe) on the path of Houstonians bound for the Texas Hill Country decades ago, but there are a dozen or more eateries that took its place along I-10 on the north side of town. There are delightful, well-maintained buildings downtown, many of which are occupied by retail shops or professional services. The town has a rich musical heritage, especially polka music. The region is also widely noted for its painted churches.

Harking back to my original blog on trails, one strong pattern emerged on this leg of my journey. SH 99, which is now the outer loop around much of Houston, has spawned growth radiating outward along major arterial roads like, but not limited, to 90-A on the west, 290 to Hempstead and Brenham, and 149 to Tomball on the northwest and Gosling Road leading to the Woodlands. Houston is now truly a multi-nodal population center. And, like Stephen F. Austin’s original colony at San Felipe, it continues to spin off growth all around it. Those seeking an escape from the city proper to small towns seem to be settling most often near or along those transportation arteries.

All notations on history of the towns in this blog were sourced from the Texas State Historical Association.