History of Sts. Cyril & Methodius

The History of Damon

In 1827, a pioneering and Catholic man, Abraham Darst, who at the time was forty-one years old, gave up the life he had made for himself in St. Charles County, Missouri and moved his family to the wilderness of the Texas Gulf Coast. The trip to his home was made by boat, down the MIssissippi and around the coast to Velasco.

Through Stephen F. Austin, Darst received the grant of a league and labor of l and from the Mexican government in 1820. In the midst of his grant rose a large mound. It had an elevation of ninety-seven feet and embraced about 3,000 acres.

The mound was about a mile in length, east and west and about eight hundred yards in width. Located near the Brazoria-Fort Bend County line it was about eight miles from the Brazos River and two miles from the San Bernard.



Darst had eight children, one being a daughter, Lorina who in married a young man from Massachusetts and they settled in the Mound community (as it was known). Since they owned most of the land there, the MOund became known as Damon's Mound and later simply as Damon.

Damon produced most of the limestone in South Texas before the turn of the century. Remains of the old quarry can be seen as you enter Damon. At the turn of the century, Damon was a really sleepy little one horse town. There was one store. The town, was however, on the verge of a very important dicovery, OIL!

In 1917, Damon was the center of the Oil Boom. People poured into the town. The town grew with almost unbelievable speed. There as not ime for planning anything. Streets were almost non-existent. Stores, hotels, boarding houses, a movie theatre, and a bank sprang up over night. There was even a resident doctor. By 1924 there were enought people in the town to convert the small eight grade school into a modern high school, which continued until 1947. 

In 1917 Sulphur was discovered on the mound but it wasn't until 1951 that mining began by the Standard Sulphur Company. This plant was in operation until 1956.

In 1918, the Texas and New Orleans Railroad reached Damon. It provided a more convenient method of moving the town's products.



Damon today remains a small town. No more hotels, banks, or large stores. 

Catholics of Czech descent had been settling in the Damon Mound Community since 1913. At that time, the nearest Catholic Church was in Needville. It was quite an ordeal to get to Mass. There were no roads, only open prairies. The families had to travel by buggies or wagons, over a distance of 12 miles, more or less, to get to Church. The day was spent by the time they got back home. During rainy seasons, it was almost impossible to go anywhere.

One day, in 1923, Father James Kveton was called out of Rosenberg to give the Last Rites to a boy. Fr. Kveton was surprised to see so many CAtholic families gathered at the home of the boy and inspite of the fact that he was pastor of Rosenberg, with missions in Iowa Colony, Beasley, Hungerfored and Needville, he was moved to take on Damon as another mission.



Fr. Kveton talked to the people and suggested that they think about building a church and that he would come as often as was possible, but only on weekdays. Until the church was built Mass would be in the home of Paul Orsak. Father would notify a member of the missin, by mail, when he was coming, so that he could be met at the train.

In May of 1925 plants were made for a new church. The present site at the foot of the mound was bought soon after and construction began. The church was completed in the Fall of 1925.

On January 17, 1926, Damon was made a mission of Needville, with Father Innocence Raska as pastor. On July 5, 1927 the church was dedicated by Bishop Christopher E. Byrne as Sts. Cyril & Methodius.

In August 1966 with the installation of Father Kenneth Mikulik as pastor, plans for a new church that would seat 400 people were finanalized. After completion of the new church, it was dedicated by Bishop John L. Morkovsky on April 19, 1970.

On July 1, 1977, Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church was recognized as a parish church for the first time in its 51-year history.



In 2000 renovations to the Old Church were completed turning it into an office, workroom, two classrooms and adding a restroom. A Chapel was created by restoring the upper part of the Church and Altar to resemble as close as possible what it looked like when first built. On November 5, 2000 Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza held a Mass following by the Blessing of the new Chapel.