Welcome / Witamy!
Panna Maria, Texas is the oldest permanent Polish settlement in the United States.
The 1854 immigration of Poles to Texas began in the region of Upper Silesia, an ethnically Polish border area on the extreme southern tip of what was then the Kingdom of Prussia. The settlers came at the invitation of Father Leopold Moczygemba, a Polish priest from the same region, who had been pastor to Germans in Texas since 1852. The first group of settlers to arrive included three of Father Moczygemba’s brothers. When the settlers arrived at the site, Panna Maria, they gathered beneath a sheltering oak tree and celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving.
Center visitors can also enjoy a walking tour of the historic town of Panna Maria. Points of interest include the first Polish Catholic church, the first Polish Catholic school, the famous oak tree, and original stone houses built by the settlers.
