Site of Moravia School

The plaque follows the Moravia schoolhouse to Granger, where it stood at Crispus Attucks High School, the school for Black students, until 1964. Granger's schools for Black children are documented earlier. A Rosenwald Fund card at Fisk University records a Granger School in Williamson County, established in 1920-21 at a cost of $5,500: the Black community gave $600, public funds $4,100 and the Rosenwald Fund $800. The card, which notes a two-room shop at the school, does not say whether this is the school the plaque calls Attucks.

What the plaque says

Site of Moravia School Site of Moravia School In the mid-nineteenth century, Moravian immigrants began moving into Central Texas, attracted by fertile soils and the hope for better lives. One who settled here was Pavel Machu (1834-1907), a native of the Vsetin Valley in what is now the Czech republic. Machu came to Texas in 1870 with his wife, Rozina (Trlica), and their three children, settling first in Austin County. By 1880, the family resided in Williamson County and, in 1884, Machu donated three acres of his farm for a community school that was named for his native land. S.E. Montgomery donated funds for lumber and built the one-room schoolhouse, which also provided meeting space for church services and community activities. Moravia School opened in 1884, replacing the earlier Dykes School (1 mi. S). Charles Lord served as the first headmaster. Moravia became Common School District No. 83 in 1903. It continued to serve the dispersed farming settlement and was a focal point for social and religious gatherings. In 1922, trustees enlarged the schoolhouse to two rooms, providing space for grades one through eight. Older students attended high school in Granger. By the 1930s, the declining agricultural population resulted in the closing of several area schools, and Moravia closed in 1945. The district formally merged with Granger Independent School District in 1949, and the Moravia schoolhouse was soon moved to Granger to the site of Crispus Attucks High School. There it remained until 1964, when the African American Attucks school integrated with other Granger schools. The site of the pioneer schoolhouse now serves as an important reminder of the area's rich cultural history. (2003)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Williamson County Courthouse — 17 mi
  The fifth Williamson County courthouse, a Beaux Arts building by C. H. Page, rises over a Georgetown square of more than 50 Victorian-era buildings.
• Inner Space Cavern — 18 mi
  A Georgetown cave found in 1963 when highway engineers drilled test holes, holding Pleistocene fossils and 72-degree rooms that visitors reach by an artificial tunnel.
• The Round Rock — 21 mi
  A table-shaped stone in Brushy Creek gave Round Rock its name in 1854; the Chisholm Trail crossed the creek near it, and Old Town stayed behind when the railroad pulled the town east.
• Milam County Courthouse and Jail — 28 mi
  Cameron's 1892 Renaissance Revival courthouse and the 1895 St. Louis-built jail beside it, now the county museum, are listed together on the National Register.

More markers nearby

• Brick Streets in Granger — 3.5 mi
• Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church — 3.6 mi
• Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic School — 3.6 mi
• Granger Brethren Church — 3.6 mi