Pawelekville, Texas
On the night of June 17, 1979 four kids were traveling down the lonely road of FM887. The kids were coming home from a birthday party at Joe's Tank in Guillet, Tx.
They were having a great time, but did not know it would be their last. They were driving southwest down FM887 and stopped at the HWY123 intersection. After the passing of
one truck they began to pull out, without seeing the truck that was carrying a large load of watermelons. The truck did not have it's lights on which lead to the collision
of the two moving vehicles. The young kids by the names of Jackie Pawelek, Denise Camber, Jenny Moy, and Mark Felux were all killed instantly. As for the driver of the truck
carrying the watermelons, he was said to have gone crazy after the accident and eventually committed suicide. This tragedy gave the people of Pawelekville a reason to put up
a blinking light at this intersection. The light now serves as a permanent reminder of the young lives that were taken that lonely Father's day night!
SMALL TOWNS:
Small towns are constantly competing with large cities, just to stay on the maps. It is amazing how some small towns survive with such conditions of low population and lack of growth. Pawelekville, located in Karnes County in southern Texas, remains a fine example. Small does not even begin to describe Pawelekville.....it is tiny. Without a post office, church, or school, Pawelekville relies on many surrounding towns and cities for the necessities. Without their assistance, Pawelekville would be long gone. Before the town of Pawelekville was actually established and named, the land had to be purchased. This was done on September 1, 1871 by Macief (Mathew) Pawelek. Pawelek moved to Texas form Poland in the 1860's with his wife and 10 children. They purchased approximately 180 acres, two miles north of Cestohowa. They paid $2.00 per acre for a total of $360.00. This land was eventually named after Maciej's family, following the beginning of a small community.
Building a Way of Life & a Place For Fun: Pawelekville was founded by Johnny Pawelek, son of Maciej Pawelek and Alex, Joe, and John Pawelek, gradsons of Maciej Pawelek. Maciej's grandsons started the town after State Highway 123 was completed in the 1930's. many towns tended to grow after this new highway cut through. Pawelekville proves this point directly. A store was built along Hwy 123 which was followed by a cafe and gas station in 1946. These businesses were just the begining of a small town, which would grow and then slowly fade.
Pawelekville "Carvajal," Texas: The land of Pawelekville was purchased in 1871,and was not founded until 1940.The construction of the Texas State Highway in 1939 created a demand for gasoline and groceries in the area, which helped to establish the little town of "Carvajal," now known as Pawelekville.
brought to people's attention that the town had still not been formally named. Ed Krawietz wanted to name the town 'Cravajal'. Cravajal was a famous crossing on the Cibolo River, just
about a mile west of the land. Cravajal crossing proved to be the only lasting settlement on the Cibolo. Cravajal crossing had continued problems with Indians. After standing through Indian raids of the Comanche and Apache, the Indian tribes eventually moved. Mexican cattle drivers also used Cravajal crossing. The Mexican cattle drivers did not seem to appreciate the travel and use of this crossing
though these lands. They tended to steal and butcher cattle which grazed along this road. This was the beginning of many cart wars. Krawiets thought it was a suitable name, but John Pawelek did not agree. Actually he became very angry when the signs of Cravajal went up along State HWY 123. John Pawelek and Henry Moczygemba traveled to Austin, Texas and got the town re-named. The signs "Pawelekville" are
still posted along State HWY 123 today.
ECONOMY:
STANDING STRONG: The Thomas Moy & Sons Well Drilling Co. Started way back in
1945, when Thomas Moy Sr. receieved his discharge from the U.S. Marines. He wanted to own a business and since there was a
demand for water in the area, an idea came to mind. Moy and his Uncle Isidore Sekula started drilling water wells with a homemade drilling rig, which was designed and made with a supervision of Mr. Joe Jendrusch in his machine
shop in Pawelekville, Tx. This little rig drilled 21 local water wells for the first two years in service. On August 26, 1947, Moy married Olivia Kowalik. This prompted him to start a business of his own, with Olivia at his right
hand as secretary. Moy hired local persons to help him. To this day the company has local people employed. The Moys had five children, Linda, Thomas Jr. Johnny, Gary and Felix. Thomas Jr. and Johnny Moy run the company with
over 50 years in operation.
Brac udzial w wyscigach (Race): Almost all of the residents living in Pawelekville are of Polish descent. They do not consider themselves to be racist. This is partially due to fact that there are not many blacks around Pawelekville, so racisim was never an issue. (Rosalie Titzman)
INTERVIEW: This interview was conducted by Lynnette Rutledge and Courtney Pierdolla, on March 19, 2006. The interview took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pawelek.
FUTURE PROSPECTS: The community of Pawelekville has done its part over the years to keep this small town what it is. In our opinion we don't see the town of Pawelekville disappearing from the map any time soon!
WEBSITES:
Pawelekville, Texas
Pawelekville Singles
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Paul & Nancy Pawelek: Residents of Pawelekville, Paul coaches at La Vernia ISD. while Nancy teaches High School English at Falls City ISD. Paul has lived in Pawelekville all his life, and plans to reside there until he dies. They were very helpful to our project, in that they introduced us to Mrs. Rosalie Titzman. They were also very open to conversation.
Rosalie Titzman: Resident of Pawelekville. Rosalie was born and raised in Pawelekville. She remembers helping out at the Pawelek Store, and hanging out at Joe's Cafe. She provided us with numerous pictures and historical evidence.
Michelle Titzman: Resident of La Vernia, Tx. As a child she spent much of her time in and around Pawelekville. Michelle's sister was one of the four killed in the car accident. She informed us of this unforgetable night and was very helpful in toward our search for the whole story.