Moravian Club of Nueces County

An organization vital to the preservation of the area's rich heritage, the Moravian Club of Nueces County first formed to build and maintain a meeting hall for the many settlers of Czech descent, primarily Moravian, who migrated to southwestern Nueces County. Stanley L. Kostoryz (Stanislav Kostohryz), who in 1904 sold his Czech-language newspaper in Nebraska and resettled near Corpus Christi, led the migration. He purchased property which he renamed Bohemian Colony Lands, advertising it in Czech-language newspapers throughout the United States. Settlers soon arrived, coming mostly from Czech communities in central Texas in pursuit of affordable farmland. The new community became known as Kostoryz. In 1923, the Moravian Club of Nueces County, originally named the Moravian Recreational Lodge of Nueces County, formed to meet the need for a social facility in the growing settlement. Members built the first Moravian Hall in 1924, replaced with a larger structure in 1939 financed by the KJT (Katolická Jednota Texaská), a Catholic Czech fraternity. After the U.S. Navy bought land, then including the second hall, for Cabaniss Air Field, members built a third hall (1941). The various club halls served as centers for social and church activities, including dances, informal gatherings after Sunday mass, Kostoryz School programs, meetings for Czech organization and other events. Additionally, form the 1940s until the 1960s, the club hosted semi-pro baseball games in a field behind its main hall. Additional club activities focused on the promotion of Christianity, as well as Czech history and music. Today, the Moravian Club of Nueces County continues to maintain the Moravian Hall, celebrating the area's cultural heritage. (2007)

Moravian Club of Nueces County is a historical marker in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, dedicated in 2007. It is one of 105 historical markers documented in Nueces County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 147 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 27.7188, -97.4179 near Corpus Christi. The nearest cataloged historic site is Travis Baptist Church (historical marker), about 1.0 miles away. Others within a short drive include Saint John Baptist Church, Del Mar College, and General W.W. Sterling.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507014029. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.