A BRIEF HISTORY OF MORAVIAN HALL AND

THE MORAVIAN CLUB OF NUECES COUNTY

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

 Rudolph Polasek, Sr.                      Leo Netek                             Kasper Zdansky

Jan Brandesky,   Josef Brandesky, Sr.,   Fred Brandesky, Sr.,   Jan Janosek,   Ludvik Mokry,   Frank Mokry,   Ladislay Zdansky,   Karel Batek, Sr.,   Jakub Nemec,   Fabian Havelka,   Jan Pavlasek,   Frank Chasek,   Matej Rozypal,   Jan Stojanik,   Alfred Krnavek,   Rudolph Polasek, Jr.,   Vinc Brezina,   Frank Klepac,   Oldrich Sill,   Jan Sherek,   Rudolph Tajchman,   Karel Kosarek, Sr.,   Mikulas Mokry,   Stepan Simcik,   Stepan Mokry,   Theodor Batek,   Frank Krnavek,   Jos Kopecky,   Rochus Malik,   Frank Maralik,   Wilem Klepac,   James Nemec,   Ed Petru,   Leo Urbanec,   Rev. Josef Leben,   Ondrej Pospech