Serbin, Texas
Encyclopedia
Serbin is an unincorporated community
in southwestern Lee County, Texas, United States
. Located about 50 miles (80.5 km) east of Austin
, it was originally established as Low Pin Oak Settlement by Wendish (Sorbian) immigrants to Texas
in the mid-1850s. The community's name was changed to Serbin, meaning "Wendish land", prior to 1860.
The largest single migration of Wendish
immigrants to the United States
settled in Texas, using Serbin as the "mother colony". On September 20, 1854, about 550 Wendish Lutherans from congregations in Prussia
and Saxony
left for Texas under the leadership and pastoral care of John Kilian
. Upon arriving in Texas, the people of present-day Serbin became the earliest members of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
in Texas. St. Paul Lutheran Church, built in 1871, stands as a typical example of Wendish architecture; the pulpit is located in the balcony of the church.
The Texas Wendish Heritage Museum is housed in Serbin on the St. Paul church grounds. Occupying three independent buildings including a former St. Paul parochial school, the museum also has two outdoor exhibits of an intact log cabin
and part of a dogtrot house
.
It is unclear whether either of the two Sorbian languages
is still spoken in Serbin. According to the 2000 U.S. census
, 37 people in the 78942 ZIP Code
area (which also includes Giddings
and other nearby towns) spoke a Slavic language other than Polish
or Russian
at home.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in southwestern Lee County, Texas, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located about 50 miles (80.5 km) east of Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, it was originally established as Low Pin Oak Settlement by Wendish (Sorbian) immigrants to Texas
Wends of Texas
The Texas Wends or Wends of Texas are a group of people descended from a congregation of approximately 588 Sorbian/Wendish people under the leadership and pastoral care of John Kilian who emigrated from Lusatia to Texas in 1854. The term also refers to the other emigrations occurring before and...
in the mid-1850s. The community's name was changed to Serbin, meaning "Wendish land", prior to 1860.
The largest single migration of Wendish
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
immigrants to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
settled in Texas, using Serbin as the "mother colony". On September 20, 1854, about 550 Wendish Lutherans from congregations in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
left for Texas under the leadership and pastoral care of John Kilian
John Kilian
John Kilian also , was a Lutheran pastor and leader of the colony known as the Wends of Texas.-Background:...
. Upon arriving in Texas, the people of present-day Serbin became the earliest members of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
in Texas. St. Paul Lutheran Church, built in 1871, stands as a typical example of Wendish architecture; the pulpit is located in the balcony of the church.
The Texas Wendish Heritage Museum is housed in Serbin on the St. Paul church grounds. Occupying three independent buildings including a former St. Paul parochial school, the museum also has two outdoor exhibits of an intact log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
and part of a dogtrot house
Dogtrot house
The dogtrot, also known as a breezeway house, dog-run, or possum-trot, is a style of house that was common throughout the Southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most theories place its origins in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Some scholars believe the style...
.
It is unclear whether either of the two Sorbian languages
Sorbian languages
The Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. They are the native languages of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority in the Lusatia region of eastern Germany. Historically the language has also been known as Wendish or Lusatian. Their collective ISO 639-2 code...
is still spoken in Serbin. According to the 2000 U.S. census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, 37 people in the 78942 ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
area (which also includes Giddings
Giddings, Texas
Giddings is the county seat of Lee County, Texas, United States situated on the intersection of U.S. Highways 77 and 290, east of Austin. Its population was 5,105 at the 2000 census. The city's motto is "Giddings Texas: Experience Hometown Hospitality"....
and other nearby towns) spoke a Slavic language other than Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
or Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
at home.