Palo Alto College

San Antonio, Texas

SMALL TOWN HISTORY: Kosciuszko, Texas

Thomas Fryer, Shane Kuhlman	Spring 2001
History 1302	Hines

ORIGINS:

Thaddeus Kosciuszko was an international hero and one of the outstanding world figures of his time. Even today, his dashing exploits are commemorated in many parts of the United States and Poland.

Kosciuszko was born near Brest (now in Belarus)in 1746. His first military training was as a cadet of the Military Academy in Warsaw. He continued his education in France.

At the age of 20, he went to America, to serve with the colonial forces in the American War of Independence (1775-1783). He soon became General George Washington's chief engineer and strategist, contributing to the decisive American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. The following year he directed the construction of several fortifications for the Continental Army. In 1783 he was granted United States citizenship, a pension, estates, and the rank of Brigadier General.

He returned to Poland the next year, attaining the rank of Major General in the Polish Army. He was commander-in-chief of the only Polish uprising to be named after its leader - the Kosciuszko Rising. Following the second partition of Poland, by Russia and Prussia, he led a 1794 rebellion for Polish independence, but was overcome by combined Russian and Prussian forces. He was wounded in battle, and imprisoned for two years.

On being released from prison, he continued to fight for a free Poland on the diplomatic front from his refuge in England, and later Switzerland, where he died in 1817. His remains were carried to Krakow and were buried in 1819 among the kings' tombs in the cathedral. The people, reviving an ancient custom, raised a huge mound to his memory near the city. (Twenty-one years later, in 1840, when Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki reached the top of Australia's highest mountain, he thought the outline of the summit resembled that mound, and later wrote "Although in a foreign country, on foreign ground, I could not refrain from giving it the name Mount Kosciuszko.")

Kosciuszko left most of his money and some of his land to help free blacks in America. Eventually, however, his will was contested by family members, and his wishes were never fulfilled.

The United States showed its regard for their wartime hero by giving his name (which they spelt without a "z") to towns in Mississippi and Texas, a county in Indiana, and an island in Alaska. In New York, a bridge that bears his name is crowned with the emblems of both the U.S. and Poland. They differ in shape, but the symbol is the same: an eagle. Kosciuszko, Mississippi (pop. 6986) has a museum featuring a permanent exhibit about Kosciuszko, the man, and revolving exhibits about Kosciusko, the town. The Kosciuszko Heritage Foundation, comprising community volunteers, built, funds and staffs the museum.

Kosciusko, Texas was named for General Kosciuszko when it was established about 1890 as a rural supply point for Polish and German settlers brought to the area by the San Antonio and Gulf Railroad. In 1900 the population was 22, but by 1990 it had risen to 390, including many of Polish descent.

ECONOMY: Kosciusko is an agricultural town that consists of mainly small farms and ranches. The General Store is a major source of supplies and services. It consist of large fertilizer trucks for the large fields in Kosciusko and the surrounding area. Also for the farmers and ranchers the General Store sells grain and feed. For everybody else the store provides gas and tire service. To a few it provides them with jobs.

LANDMARKS:

The most significant land mark the town is the St. Ann's Catholic Church. A recent edition of its local newspaper, the Wilson County News, has as its main item a report headed "The Bells Toll for Kosciuszko," describing the dedication and unveiling of "a much-awaited historical marker" at St. Ann's Catholic Church, on the 254th anniversary of the General's birth earlier that month.

EVENTS:

Major events in the town consist of mainly dances, church functions, and baseball games. The events that really put Kosciusko on the map are the dances that have been held there since the 1930's and continue to this day. The dance hall started out in the early thirties as a hall for the church socials. As the years went on, the hall became strictly used for dancing. If it were not for the dance hall, the town would not be as well known as it is. The church functions are usually very large barbecues filled with families and group events. Baseball is one of the town's major competition for the adults.

INTERVIEWS:

* Was the post office the business in the town? "Yes, it was built back in 1896 before anything else"

* Was the store originally yours? "No, my brother and I bought it from our uncle in 1964. After we bought it from him we changed it from gas station and restaurant to Gas Station, Bar, Feed Store, Fertilizer,and Tire Shop."

*When did you move here? "I didn't move here, I have lived here all of my life."

*How long has the Dance Hall been here? "The Dance Hall was built in the early 30's and was used for the weekend dances and church socials."

*Was there ever a school here? "Yes in the 40's there was about 400 people in this town and it made for a nice little school. It use to be between the church and the community center." St. Ann'a Catholic Church

WEBSITES:

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: BIBLIOGRAPHY

Return to Small Town Research Projects Index