The town of Serbin was once a thriving community on the northwest edge of the Delaplain League.

To see a list of signatures of heads of families who lived in and around Serbin in 1874 click on the following link: Serbin area residents

This account written by Mrs James C. Killen first appeared in A History Of Lee County, published in 1974 by the Lee County Historical Survey Committee.




The Wends of Serbin can trace their heritage back to the first century when Pliny, the Roman statesman, wrote about them. They come from Slavic people who lived in Saxony and Prussia for 1,500 years. During the Medieval age they were living in Sorbo Lusatia, and many early German kings waged war against them.

Beset by centuries of subjugation, and economic and religious oppression by German authorities, a group of Lutheran Wends formed a congregation at Dauban, Saxony, for the purpose of emigrating to Texas in 1854. They called the Rev. Johann Kilian, a graduate of the University of Leipzig, to be their pastor and to lead them in their venture. He accepted the call and the small band of 588 souls set out for their new homeland.

After a perilous crossing of the Atlantic in the sailing vessel, the Ben Nevis, the group arrived at Galveston, their numbers considerably reduced by cholera which plagued them enroute.

They proceeded inland in the fall of 1854. Some stopped off at settlements along the way, New Ulm, Industry, and Cat Springs, but most proceeded to what is now Lee County, purchased a league of land and established a community which was called Low Pin Oak Settlement.

According to the records of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, in 1857 the following fifty families were living there: Ernst A. Moerbe, Ferdinand ]. Moerbe, Johann Kubitz, Christoph Kokel, Michael Urban, Jacob Urban, Johann Merting, George Bamsch, George Iselt, Matthaus Wagner, Johann Urban, Johann Noack, Johann Schmidt, Johann Hattas, Matthaus Schmidt, Johann Kruper-Hole, George Merting, Christoph Schatte, Johann Domaschk, Matthaus Peter, George Lorentsk, Johann C. Lehmann, George Hocker, Matthaus Schuster, Johann Kilian, Michael Kurjo, August Dube, Johann Pilak, Johann Dube, Matthaus Wukasch, August Polnik, Johann Bjar, August Groeschel, Traugott Wenk, Johann Zischank, Johann Handrik, Andreas Lowke, Andreas Malke, Matth. Domaschk, Matth. Mroske, Christoph Schelnik, Matth. Schelnik, George Schelnik, Widow Zwahr, Andreas Hanschk (Prochnesthko), Johann Schoenig, Johann Schneider, Peter Fritsche, Widow Casper, and Widow Urban.

In memory of their homeland, Sorbo Lusatia, the Wends renamed their community Serbin, which became the fountainhead of Wendish culture in the Western Hemisphere. On August 17, 1860, Frederick A. Engelke was appointed the first postmaster for their newly established U.S. Post Office.

Ironically the Wends left Germany for fear their culture, fragile at best, would soon vanish through a gradual process of Germanization. Yet, within a few years after the Wends arrived in Texas, German colonies settled in the Serbin area. Many Wends intermarried with the Germans. By the turn of the century, services in St. Paul's Lutheran Church were being conducted not only in Wendish, but also in German. By 1916 the Wendish language was no longer taught at the St. Paul's school, and it was soon after discontinued in the church. The Germanization the Wends feared would happen in Saxony and Prussia occurred even sooner in Texas. Mr. Arthur Moebus, great-great grandson of JohannKilian, estimates that fewer than 100 of the older generation of Wends in America are fluent in the Wendish language. When a Texas State Historical Marker was dedicated at Serbin in April, 1970, commemorating the tri-lingual community, it was difficult to find enough Wendish language speakers to compose the choir for entertainment.

The only Wendish newspaper in America was founded by John Andrew Proske of Giddings, in 1899, and called Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt. It was merged with The Giddings Star, in the 1940's.

Pastor Kilian and his colony of Wends were the first Lutherans in Texas to affiliate with the Missouri Synod. From the original group, daughter congregations were formed in surrounding communities in Lee and Fayette Counties and their descendants have spread throughout Texas. Many of the names found on the original ship's register of Wendish colonists are prominent at Serbin today: Lehman, Moerbe, Vogel, Schmidt, Schatte, Becker, Bamsch, Noack, Prellop, Kasper, Zoch, Miertschin, Urban, Wenke, and others. Under the pressure from German authorities many of the old Wends had Germanized their Slavic names in order to survive.

In its early days Serbin was a bustling community with stores, blacksmith shops, taverns, etc. When the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad was built in Lee County, in 1890, its tracks were a mile or so east of Serbin. For practical financial reasons many inhabitants of Serbin moved their businesses nearer the railroad and called the community the Town of New Serbin. When the railroad built a station at this site in 1892, a new township was established and called Northrup.

Today the only tangible evidences of the once thriving little town of Serbin are the majestic and severely beautiful St. Paul's Lutheran Church with its adjoining cemetery and Milt Moerbe's general store and beer tavern.