Plasi Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Plasi Area Cameras

Former Czech village · Saunders County · settled 1867; gone by about 1900

About Plasi

Plasi is a vanished Czech village in Elk Township, northwestern Saunders County, about 4 miles south-southwest of Prague and 6 miles west of Malmo, near NE 79. Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, a mission of St. John in Prague, and its cemetery remain.

History

Czech Catholic settlers arrived in 1867, and the first Czech Mass in Nebraska is said to have been celebrated here in 1870 or 1871, by one account at Joseph Simanek's home. A Catholic society of 65 members formed in 1872, and a church seating 300 was built in 1878 on land bought from the Union Pacific; the parish is called the oldest Czech parish in the state. The post office was first named Plzen (Pilsen), then renamed Plasi at postmaster Frank Kubik's request after mail was confused with Pilger.

Plasi had about 40 people in 1890, but the railroad never came, and the village was gone by about 1900. The church burned in 1901 and was rebuilt; lightning struck the steeple in 1914, and fire destroyed the church again in August 1934 before it was rebuilt once more. The parish keeps Czech songs for special occasions, and a World War II memorial stands in front of the church.

Nearby towns

Prague	about 3.7 mi north-northeast	NE 79
Rescue	about 6 mi north-northwest	County roads
Malmo	about 6 mi east	County roads
Weston	about 7 mi southeast	County roads
Cedar Hill	about 10 mi north-northeast	NE 79
Wahoo	about 12 mi east-southeast	County roads and NE 92