Summer before last I was up south of Luckenbach in the Jeep driving along the Old San Antonio Road when I came across a small shooting match.
I stopped by for a little and enjoyed watching the shooters, and learned that the club--the Grapetown Eintracht Schuetzen Verein--had been around since 1887 when a local singing club and a shooting club were combined, and has been in its current location since 1893!
According to county records, Grapetown was the site of the first annual Gillespie County Shooting Festival (Schuetzenfest), during which 140 kegs of beer were consumed in four days. There is no record of the accuracy of marksmen during the festivities.
I just learned that there is another Schuetzen Verein located in Quihi, 12 miles west of Rio Medina; although this one looks more like a social club than a shooting organization.
A little online research revealed an article from the April 2010 edition of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine that stated the New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein is the oldest continuously operating shooting club in the United States, having been formed in 1849 (four years after the town was founded). According to the magazine, "matches became celebrated social events, allowing families a break from the hardscrabble pioneer life."
The article states that there are fewer than 20 Schuetzen Verein left in Texas, whereas at one point in the late 1800s there was over ten times that number. I was just wondering if there was anyone on here that is a member of a Schuetzen Verein, and if so, could you provide some details of your club?
Cheers! M2
I stopped by for a little and enjoyed watching the shooters, and learned that the club--the Grapetown Eintracht Schuetzen Verein--had been around since 1887 when a local singing club and a shooting club were combined, and has been in its current location since 1893!
According to county records, Grapetown was the site of the first annual Gillespie County Shooting Festival (Schuetzenfest), during which 140 kegs of beer were consumed in four days. There is no record of the accuracy of marksmen during the festivities.
I just learned that there is another Schuetzen Verein located in Quihi, 12 miles west of Rio Medina; although this one looks more like a social club than a shooting organization.
A little online research revealed an article from the April 2010 edition of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine that stated the New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein is the oldest continuously operating shooting club in the United States, having been formed in 1849 (four years after the town was founded). According to the magazine, "matches became celebrated social events, allowing families a break from the hardscrabble pioneer life."
The article states that there are fewer than 20 Schuetzen Verein left in Texas, whereas at one point in the late 1800s there was over ten times that number. I was just wondering if there was anyone on here that is a member of a Schuetzen Verein, and if so, could you provide some details of your club?
Cheers! M2