Oh, if only these walls could speak - Czechoslovak Society of Arts ...

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Selected Papers from the 2003 SVU North American Conference, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 26-28 June 2003 Consider a “playground” with only your imagination for creating games and sport. How can you use an old water pump for amusement? What games of skill could be devised? According to one boarder, Joe Spalla, the challenge was to see how many times an individual could pump the handle without getting stung by the resident wasps. The record for pumps is held by Joe - 6. However, it is a tainted record, since he sustained 10 stings in the process. On the positive side, the day Joe set this “record” he received the only steak he ever got during the 8 years he boarded at the “convent”; unfortunately the steak was not cooked or ready for eating; it was raw and applied to the stings. The 1870 “Old School The school stands on 10 acres of land deeded to the parish in December 1859 by Roman Eggspuehler (a Swiss immigrant) and his wife Magdalene. Magdalene was the daughter of Spillville’s founder Joseph Spielman. There are several facts about the 1870 building worthy of note. They include: • Research recently completed by myself validates that the St. Wenceslaus “Old School”, or the home of J.J. Kovarik, and, “Home” to Dvorak’s Opus 96 and Opus 97, is the oldest standing Czech Catholic School in the United States. It is also worthy to note that this same research has determined that the St. Wenceslaus Church is the oldest standing Czech Catholic Church in the United States. • The Old School is an excellent example of vernacular (native to the country) masonry construction. • The foundation of the building is native limestone. • The walls, fully 20 plus inches thick, are two parallel native limestone walls with “rubble” fill in between. Construction of this type was an insulation technique. • A mystery remains as to whether or not there were two front entry doors on the school at one point in time; a north entrance and a south entry; one for the boys and one for the girls. All known photos show the current one door facing east configuration. However, recent bell tower foundation stabilization work revealed strong evidence that at least, a south facing door was in place at one point in time. The Future of the 1870 “Old School” Building The future of the “Old School”, the “convent”, the J. J. Kovarik home, or the “Home” to Dvorak’s Opus 96 and Opus 97 is in doubt as of June 2003. The Saint Wenceslaus parish has little use for the structure. In 2001, the parish council recommended the building be razed. At that time, a small group of individuals formed the Saint Wenceslaus Heritage Society. The Mission Statement of that group is in part to “…seek to retain, restore, and maintain the religious, architectural, historical and ethnic integrity of the St. Wenceslaus Church and its properties”. While incredibly structurally sound after 130 years, there was some recent deterioration of the foundation and walls associated with the bell tower. The Heritage Society was successful in - 8 -
Selected Papers from the 2003 SVU North American Conference, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 26-28 June 2003 correcting these problems in 2002 with a project “partially supported with funding from the Resource and Protection (REAP) Act through a Historical Resource Development Program (HRDP) grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa”. The building is again, structurally sound. The major task facing the Heritage Society for 2003 is the installation of a new metal roof, similar to one that was in place from the 1880’s through 1915, and installation of new gutters and downspouts. The Heritage Society is also working to have the St. Wenceslaus properties, the church, the rectory, the adjacent cemetery and the “Old School” or home of J. J. Kovarik and “Home” to Opus 96 and 97 designated as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. In December 2002, the Heritage Society made application for a Certified Local government (CLG) grant, to be used for completing the required applications and forms for nominating and placing the St. Wenceslaus facilities on the National Register of Historic places. This effort was sponsored by the Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commissioners and endorsed by the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors. The application was denied in January 2003. However, not to be deterred, the Heritage Society continues to work to have the properties designated as a Historic District. And, to that end, the Heritage Society and The Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commissioners have assembled a group of dedicated individuals, companies and organizations that will be pursuing the effort and providing a great deal of work on a pro bono basis. In the “History of Czechs in America” Jan Habenicht wrote: “The whole extended countryside with the little towns of Spillville, Protivin, Lourdes, Fort Atkinson, and Little Turkey, the railroad station at Jackson Junction and other communities is inhabited by Czechs.” “This territory, so thick with Czechs, has its own special character. Thanks to their thrift and persistence, these Czechs reached much influence….” “We can learn from this what it takes to save our Czech heritage here in America. The Czech school, Czech church, national self-confidence and economical influence, determined by persistence and thrift.” In Spillville, Iowa we are blessed with having the oldest, still standing Czech Catholic Church (1860) in the United States and the oldest, still standing Czech Parochial School (1870) in the United States. The “Old School” represents the very essence of our Czech culture and heritage. It also has an undeniable place in music history and the life of Antonin Dvorak. These facilities are priceless. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to ensure these tangible signs of our forefathers’ drive, determination, accomplishments and values survive the 21 st century and beyond. - 9 -
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