Fun Facts - Beroun

1. Before 1895, the site that was to become Beroun was occupied by only a railroad siding and flag stop. The land was owned by Maurice Burlingame, who had purchased it from the U.S. government in 1888. Mr. Ferman built a hotel on the west side of the railroad tracks in 1895, and the John Schuller family constructed a log cabin the same year.

2. Railroad land agent James Kluzak recruited numerous settlers, especially Czech Catholics, to the area beginning in 1895. Mr. Schuller, with the help of fellow settler Louis J. Ouradnik, started a post office in January of 1896. That summer, Joseph Chalupsky and his family moved to the new town, now called Beroun after a village in Czechoslovakia. Mr. Chalupsky officially platted the town site and built the first general store. He also started a sawmill.

3. On October 25, 1896, a group of Czech Catholics met at Mr. Chalupsky's home to established a church. The railroad donated a plot of land, and the group built an 18x30x12 structure for $168. Mass was celebrated for the first time in the new St. Joseph's Catholic Church on December 26, 1896. By 1902, the parish had grown enough to build a new church. The first resident priest, Fr. William Guilfoyle settled in Beroun in 1926 and guided the congregation through the process of building a brick church, which was completed in 1927 at a cost of $35,000.

4. Beroun was also home to a Methodist church, which was organized on February 2, 1914, and served 15 to 20 families.

5. Beroun was served by school district No. 25 beginning in 1895. The district operated two schools in the Beroun area. Miss Mattie Butler taught two months at each school in 1896 and earned a monthly salary of $28. In 1898, the Beroun District No. 34 was established. The school board authorized a new frame schoolhouse in 1900 and a two-room brick school in 1925. The latter cost $13,000.

6. Joseph Chalupsky was one of Beroun's premier businessmen. He founded two general stores and in 1904, a brewery. Unfortunately, the latter burned in 1910. Mr. Chalupsky also served as postmaster from 1899 to 1903.

7. Other Beroun industries included a cheese factory (which lasted only three years), a creamery (started by Peterson and Falk in 1911), two potato warehouses (which handed 54,000 bushels during peak production), and a pickle station (built by M.A. Gedney in 1921).

8. On November 14, 1914, Peter Manderfield of St. Paul joined Beroun residents John Rundquist, Andrew Ness, Adolph Strohkirch, and Gust Strohkirch to organize the Beroun State Bank. The bank operated for 28 years until it consolidated with the First National Bank of Pine City in 1942.

9. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Beroun hosted a Harvest Festival. James A. Kuzel served as “mayor for the day” for the unincorporated Beroun during this annual event.

10. The Beroun pavilion was built in 1922 and served as “town hall” and community center for many years.

Source: One Hundred Years In Pine County

The second St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Beroun, built in 1902 

St. Joseph's Catholic Church, July 4, 1937