COLORADO COUNTY, TEXAS
From The Handbook of Texas Online:
NADA, TEXAS. Nada is on State Highway 71 in southern Colorado County. The original name of the town was Vox Populi (from Latin vox populi vox dei, "the voice of the people is the voice of God"); the present name is an American version of the Czechoslovakian word najda (hope). There is a small town near Nada, which is now known as Vox Populi. The first settlers were J. William Schoellmann and his family, who arrived in the area on February 15, 1881. In 1882 Florian Frnka opened a store and post office. Many of the early settlers were Germans and Czechs from the Frelsburg area. The town grew as more settlers arrived, and in 1894 a post office named Nada was opened. On October 7, 1897, the first church in Nada was dedicated, and in 1889 a schoolroom for eighteen students was built. The original site of Nada was approximately 200 yards east of the present site; the town's businesses were moved when the highway was built. In 1948 the Nada school district became part of the Garwood Independent School District. Nada had a population of 165 in 1986. The population remained the same in 2000.
Located on land once included in Stephen F. Austin's colony, the community of Nada was first settled in the 1880s by German and Czech immigrants. John William Schoellman brought his family here from nearby Frelsburg in 1881. He built the area's first store, which was operated by his son, John Henry Schoellmann. Other early settlers included the families of Joseph Laby, Florian Frnka, Gerhard Eggemeyer, Ernest Krenk, Joseph Schneider, and Diedrich Frels. A public school, known as Red Bluff, opened in 1883. In 1889 the Schoellmann and Laby families donated land for a Catholic Church and Parochial School. The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1896 and has served as a center of community activities since that time. A U.S. post office was established in 1894 with William Engbrock as postmaster and the town was named Nada. By 1904 the community boasted homes, schools, stores, a church, cotton gin, and dance hall. Nada has remained an agricultural community. Many descendants of pioneer German and Czech settlers continue to live in the area.
Marker location: In Nada, on the grounds of St. Mary's Parish 1/8 mile east of State Highway 71
Marker erected: 1990
The post office in Nada was established in 1894 when William J. Engbrock, Jr. was appointed the first postmaster. The post office was located in the general store owned by his father, William Engbrock, Sr., until 1898. Subsequent locations of the post office changed several times over the years, depending on the profession of the succeeding postmasters. Twice it was housed in the medical office and pharmacy of Dr. Francis Daehne, appointed in 1898, and Dr. John A. Halamicek, appointed in 1915. The post office returned to the general store during the terms of Joseph H. Labay, named in 1900, and Joseph J. Patter (Potter), appointed in 1903. Adolf Hruzek became postmaster in 1911 and moved the post office to his general store across the street. Appointed in 1921, Antone Lichnovsky moved the office in 1935 to his general store built near the newly constructed State Highway 71. His daughter, appointed in 1946, also served from his store. In 1953 the post office moved to the site of the postmaster's new service station and garage, where it remained for thirty years. In 1987 a new post office facility was built here on land purchased from the Braden family.
Marker location: In Nada, on State Highway 71 in front of Nada Post Office
Marker erected: 1996
Take a look at Nada, Texas at TexasEscapes.com
Nada in the Colorado County Sesquicentennial Commemorative Book
Nada Cemetery - also known as National Cemetery