Nada

Before it was Nada, the place was called Vox Populi, from the Latin saying that the voice of the people is the voice of God, and a small neighboring community still carries that name. The Handbook says the present name is an American version of a Czech word for hope. The first Schoellmann family arrived on February 15, 1881, and in 1882 Florian Frnka opened a store and post office. Nada also stood about 200 yards east of where it is now: its businesses moved when the highway was built. In 1948 its school district joined Garwood's.

What the plaque says

Nada Located on land once included in Stephen F. Austin's colony, the community of Nada was first settled in the 1880s by German and Czech immigrants. John William Schoellman brought his family here from nearby Frelsburg in 1881. He built the area's first store, which was operated by his son, John Henry Schoellmann. Other early settlers included the families of Joseph Laby, Florian Frnka, Gerhard Eggemeyer, Ernest Krenk, Joseph Schneider, and Diedrich Frels. A public school, known as Red Bluff, opened in 1883. In 1889 the Schoellmann and Laby families donated land for a Catholic Church and Parochial School. The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1896 and has served as a center of community activities since that time. A U.S. post office was established in 1894 with William Engbrock as postmaster and the town was named Nada. By 1904 the community boasted homes, schools, stores, a church, cotton gin, and dance hall. Nada has remained an agricultural community. Many descendants of pioneer German and Czech settlers continue to live in the area. (1990)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Garwood — 3.0 mi
• Lakeside Sugar Refinery — 11 mi
• Navigation of the Colorado River — 13 mi
• Rice Culture in Colorado County — 13 mi