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The Moravian Club of Nueces County was conceived and established in
1923 with a goal of building and maintaining a social meeting venue
for the then blossoming community of Czech immigrants that were
settling in the farm lands southwest of Corpus Christi called the Bohemian
Colony Lands.
The Bohemian Colony
Lands were created after Stanley Kostoryz, a Czech immigrant himself,
moved from his original homestead in Nebraska to Corpus Christi
in 1904. Aware of the existing and growing number of Czech immigrants
in Texas, Kostoryz purchased approximately 10,000 acres of virgin
land southwest of Corpus Christi, subdivided it into farm
tracts, and then platted and recorded the acreage in the Nueces
County Deed Records as the Bohemian Colony Lands. From this subdivision of land arose a close-knit community of farming
families of Czech descent. For a time this community became known
as Kostoryz in honor of its founder.
A total of 300 shares
were sold to the charter members of the Moravian Club of Nueces
County for $10 per share. With these funds, the Club
built the first Moravian Hall, which provided a facility
for the local Czech community to hold dances, wedding and funeral
receptions, and fraternal organization meetings such as KJT, KJZT,
RVOS, and other events. The current facility, located at 5601 Kostoryz,
Rd., is the third structure to bear the
name Moravian Hall, and continues to provide the entire
Corpus Christi area with the services for which it was originally
created.
The Moravian Club shareholders
still meet once a year in February to elect officers and to celebrate
the ongoing tradition with a meal and dance.
MORAVIAN
CLUB – CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS
CHARTER
MEMBERS – AUG. 2, 1923
|
Jan Brandesky |
Matej Rozypal |
Stepan Mokry |
Josef Brandesky,
Sr. |
Jan Stojanik |
Theodor Batek |
Fred Brandesky,
Sr. |
Alfred Krnavek |
Frank Krnavek |
Jan Janosek |
Rudolph Polasek,
Jr. |
Jos Kopecky |
Ludvik Mokry |
Vinc Brezina |
Rochus Malik |
Frank Mokry |
Frank Klepac |
Frank Maralik |
Ladislay Zdansky
|
Oldrich Sill |
Wilem Klepac |
Karel Batek, Sr.
|
Jan Sherek |
James Nemec |
Jakub Nemec |
Rudolph Tajchman
|
Ed Petru |
Fabian Havelka |
Karel Kosarek,
Sr. |
Leo Urbanec |
Jan Pavlasek |
Mikulas Mokry |
Rev. Josef Leben |
Frank Chasek |
Stepan Simcik |
Ondrej Pospech |
|