Frydek is on Farm Road 1458 and the west bank of the Brazos River three miles east of Sealy and three miles south of San Felipe in southeastern Austin County. Settlement in the vicinity began in the early 1820s, when members of the Austin colony patented several “labores” of land along the river east of the eventual town site. Frydek was established about 1895 by Czechs on a league of land south of the San Felipe town tract, originally granted to Stephen F. Austin in 1831. The community, named after the Moravian city of Frýdek-Místek, soon became a market center for farmers and stock men of the vicinity. A visiting priest celebrated Mass in homes in 1883 and a cemetery was created in 1890. The cemetery received a Texas State Historical Marker in 1991.
Frydek’s post office operated from 1901 until 1906. The local school had 36 pupils in 1918. By 1931, the community had four businesses. St. Mary’s Catholic Church, formed around 1908, is still in operation today. The population, which has remained predominantly Czech in origin, was an estimated 25 in 1933. The figure climbed to an estimated 75 in 1939 and then to 150, the number reported from 1964 to 2000.
A unique Frydek feature is St. Mary’s Catholic Church Grotto (10471 Grotto Rd.) with an outdoor altar that was constructed to commemorate and give thanks for the 67 residents who served in World War II and all returned home. It is open to the public.
The community holds an annual grotto celebration on the last Sunday in April. For more information and schedule of events, call (979) 225-3131.
For that real Texas experience, don’t miss Ermis’s Double E Grocery (10108 FM 1458) you can sit next to politicians, church ladies, bikers, ranchers and real-life cowboys to enjoy a cool one, great food or just talk about the weather and soak up local color. For more information, call (979) 885-6556.