NECHANITZ, TEXAS

History in a Pecan Shell

By Carolyn Heinsohn

1870 - Wenzel Matejowsky purchased 200 acres in the James G. Wilkinson League. Thus, the beginning of the Nechanitz Store. The building was thought to have been built in the 1830s to 1840s. It was a "beautiful old relic" with square nails in flooring and walls. The store burned in January, 1971.

1874 - Post office established by Matejowsky, who named the community NECHANITZ, using the German word for his native birthplace NECHANICE, BOHEMIA. His application stated that approximately 50 families would be served by the P.O. The diagram of the proposed site, drawn by Richard A. Doss, District Surveyor of Fayette County, identified it as being on the "old stage road to Ledbetter" shown as originating in La Grange .

1878 - Gin built by Matejowsky; horses originally furnished power, later with a steam engine - continued use to 1924-1926.

1880 - Wenzel Matejowsky built his two-story home.

1886 - Matejowsky elected to serve Fayette County in 20th Texas Legislature in the newly-built Capitol.

20th Century - a Bluebonnet Seed business and Petrified Wood sales gave new definition to Nechanitz, run by Marvin and Esther Marburger Urban Matejowsky for a number of years.

Descendants of early families still living in the area: Meiners, Wolff, Schuster, Oeser, Stork, Pietsch, Weishuhn, Meinke, Rauch, Albers and others.

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