Yesterday and Today in New Prague

Cedar Lake

Cedar Lake stretches across the north side of New Prague spanning 780 acres. The first photo displays some of the beautiful houses that spanned the shoreline and still remain today. The lake is home to many but is also a popular fishing lake. A fisher could come across bluegills, muskies, walleye and in the little bays there are sunnies.

New Prague Water Tower

Clean water is one of the most important things a city must offer its residents, so the New Prague water tower is a crucial part of the city. Clean water is pumped into the tower and stores roughly a million gallons of water. The tower was built in 1896 on the southeast corner of South Columbus and East Main Streets. The land was donated by a local named Elias Bruzek. The water tower remained there for decades but was later moved to make space for other essential businesses.

Parades in New Prague

On April 4th, 1891 New Prague was declared a city! The first photo was taken 100 years later on April 4th, 1991. The town hosted a celebration with floats and cars drive through the streets. This celebration isn’t out of the norm for New Prague. New Prague has a multitude of parades on the main street. The most popular of which is Dožínky days, which celebrates the strong influence of Czech culture and the Czech Harvest, and which still takes place every year.

New Prague Fire Department

Fire departments have always been a constant in towns as they protect and serve their community. The first photo shows a fireman standing next to what may be a 1942 Chevrolet Darley 4x2. This specific firetruck was equipped with 250-gallon water tanks and two 150-foot hoses. Firetrucks have continued to evolve and increase their capacity. One of the most common firetrucks today, produced by Pierce Manufacturing, is equipped with a 500-750 gallon tank. The New Prague Fire Department today consists of 30 volunteers that continue to keep the community safe.

sAINT WENCESLAUS CHURCH

With its beautiful Georgian and Romanesque Revival architecture, St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church is a landmark of downtown New Prague. The church community originally met in a log cabin opened in the late 1880s, but that location burned down in a fire. The historic photo shows the rebuilt church, designed by Hermann Kretz, an architect from St. Paul. The church opened over 110 years ago on July 7th, 1907. Today the church consists of roughly 1,500 members and holds weekly services that are open to the community. The church also made an addition to the building to house a school for kindergartners through 8th grade. Today, the beautiful chimes of the church ring at the top of the hour filling downtown New Prague.