In December 1854, the first permanent Polish colony in the United States was founded at Panna Maria, Texas (south of San Antonio). These first Polish-Texans were from the Silesia area of Poland, which was under Prussian rule.

During the War Between the States, immigration dropped dramatically, but resumed in 1867 with the Second Wave of Poles. They settled in Southeast Texas. These Polish Texans came primarily from the Bydgoszcz area. Thereafter, emigrants came from Galicia, Poznan and all parts of Poland.

The First Polish Colonies of America in Texas, by Rev. Edward J. Dworaczyk, originally published in 1936, identified early Polish Catholic Churches.