A slice of Eastern Europe

A Czech-Slovak community is thriving in New Bohemia in Prince George County

BY SANDE SNEAD

Richmond Times Dispatch, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Sep 14, 2005

There's a little Czechoslovakia in the tiny village of New Bohemia in Prince George County.

But don't blink as you drive east on U.S 460. You just might miss this one-stoplight place that has a thriving and dedicated Czech-Slovak community.

Joyce Pritchard and Marie Pearson, both Hopewell residents, are champions in preserving this culture.

The two women started the Southside Virginia Czech-Slovak Heritage Society locally in 2003 and have been astounded by the response.

Descendants of (or people interested in) the Czech-Slovaks that settled in Prince George, Dinwiddie and Chesterfield counties, and the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell during the late 1800s and early 1900s are invited to join the society. Its mission is to discover, document and promote Czech-Slovak heritage.

The two women have developed a family-surname database with 311 family names.

"I think we are getting close to documenting all of the names because now when people ask us to check for a name, we usually already have it," Pritchard said.

She was among groups of society members who traveled to Prague and Czech villages in Romania from mid-August through last week.

The society holds activities to promote understanding of the culture, religion, work ethics and homelands of their Virginia Czech-Slovak forebears.

Between 1887-1915, at least 3,000 Czech-Slovaks arrived in the Tri-Cities area, according to census records.

The Czech-Slovaks came in particular because Southside Virginia was devastated by the Civil War and the end of slavery created a need for cheap labor. Land also was available at low prices.

Peanuts were the biggest cash crop for Czech-Slovaks, said Jerry Skalsky, a retired teacher and community activist who grew up in Prince George County. But farming wasn't an easy way to make a living.

"Czechs are honest, hardworking people," Skalsky said. "That's why they are able to succeed at farming. We had cattle and hogs and a large vegetable garden with corn and soybeans. My mom drove a tractor and a team of horses when I was growing up. It was hard, manual, physical labor."

Many Czechs also became business owners in the Tri-Cities.

Churches became an important focal point for the Czech-Slovak community, offering a gathering place for like minds and customs. Many from the Tri-Cities Czech-Slovak community attend the Church of Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic church in New Bohemia.

"Church is an important part of keeping the community together," Skalsky said.

Sacred Heart will hold its 99th parish festival celebrating Czech-Slovak culture on Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.