Appelt Hill

LAVACA COUNTY, TEXAS

Appelt’s Hill Gun Club

The Appelt's Hill Gun Club celebrated its 125th anniversary on Sunday, October 21, 2007. First known as the Appelt's Hill Schutzen Verein, the club was organized on August 20, 1882 by August J. Appelt, with forty-five members from around the community. Appelt built a platform on his land in 1886 and the first four king shoots were held there. It was named Possum Flat. The platform was moved to Joseph Selzer's property and the shoots continued there until 1896. At that time, the club purchased 7 1/4 acres from John Schornack and William Heinsohn. Since 1897 the king shoot has been held on these grounds. The original building was destroyed by a storm on July 21, 1909. The present hall is used by the general public for dances, famiy reunions and other gatherings. The Appelt's Hill gun club is the only active gun club left of seven such organizations in the county. Some of the other community gun clubs were at Breslau, Hallettsville, Pagel Settlement and Wied.

Click on photo for larger view. Please contact Theresa Voelkel if you can identify anyone in this photo.

Kings of the Appelt Hill King's Feast, 1888-2006

Contributed by Theresa Voelkel
1892 Queen & King
Anna and Julius Pagel

1888 Charles Muecke, Jr.
1889 Gottlieb Hildebrand 30
1892 Julius Pagel
1893 Adolph Zappe 32
1896 Gus Schott
1900 John Frieda 34
1901 Wm. Rickeway
1909 Joe Appelt 36
1910 Anton Appelt 33
1911 Fritz Korges 36
1912 Fritz Korges 32
1913 John Frieda 37
1914 Henry Obelgoner 38
1915 Appelt, A. C. 39
1916 Reinhart, Otto 36
1917 Schaefer, Anton 34
No feast because of World War I
1919 Appelt, Louis, Sr 34
1920 Schulte, John 34

1921 Roeber, Charles 33
1922 Schulte, Oscar 36
1923 Schornack, John 35
1924 Boethel, Adolph 36
1925 Sommerlate, Joe 34
1926 Schulte, Frank 35
1927 Boethel, Adolph 33
1928 Schornack, William 36
1929 Brogger, Otto 36
1930 Obelgoner, William 33
1931 Appelt, Alton A. 37
1932 Zappe, Henry 33
1933 Laas, Hilmer 34
1934 Schulte, Oscar 35
1935 Zappe, Henry 35
1936 Schulte, Oscar 35
1937 Appelt, Alton A. 35
1938 Roeber, Charles 36
1939 Heinsohn, Anton 35
1940 Henneke. John W. 34
1941 Foster, Frank C. 36
1942 Reckaway, Paul 34
1943 Spies, Hubert 34
1944 Kubena, Anton 37
1945 Foster, Frank C. 36
1946 Zappe, Henry 35
1947 Mikeska, Leroy 35
1948 Henneke, Leo "Buck" 36
1949 DeBord, Wesley 38
1950 Stratmann, Arthur 37
1951 Mikeska, Leroy 36
1952 DeBord, Wesley 36
1953 Mikeska, Leroy 38
1954 Henneke, John W. 35
1955 Orsak, Otto F. 37
1956 Appelt, Alton A. 36
1957 Neumann, Julius 38
1958 Scheffer, Milton M. 37
1959 Wolfsdorff, Emmett 39
1960 Pohl, Arthur (Bob) 38
1961 Scheffer, Milton 36
1962 Zappe, Joe P. 38
1963 Scheffer, Milton 37
1964 Morley, W. A. 38
1965 Zappe, Joe P. 38
1966 Morley, W. A. 39
1967 Wolfsdorff, Emmett 38
1968 Morley, W. A. 39
1969 Sommers, Charles Morley 39
1970 Mikeska, Leroy 39X
1971 Pohl, David 39X
1972 Henneke, Norbert 38
1973 Henneke, Norbert 39X
1974 Ehlers, Ricky 34
1975 Renger, Kenneth 38
1976 Rother, Daniel 37
1977 Henneke, John, D 38
1978 Gundelach, Danny 37
1979 Schroeder, Leslie 36
1980 Henneke, John, D 36
1981 Henneke, Karl 36X
1982 Olsovsky, Dwayne 38X
1983 Stock, Warren 37X
1984 Pohl, David 35
1985 Pavlik, Bennie 36X
1986 Brown, Ronald 36X
1987 Kubena, Bob 35X
1988 Pohl, David 37
1989 Gundelach, Danny 37
1990 Heinsohn, Brian 37
1991 Phillips, Bill 38X
1992 Obelgoner, Robert 37
1993 Heinsohn, Brian 37X
1994 Heinsohn, Brian 36X
1995 Werner, Juno 38
1996 Thomas, Edward 37
1997 Butschek, Wayne 36X
1998 Kocian, Dennis,Sr. 37
1999 Thomas, Edward 37
2000 Kocian, Dennis,Sr. 36X
2001 Dyer. Scott 37
2002 Marek, Mike 36
2003 Pohl, David 37
2004 Roznovsky, Chris 36X
2005 Zappe, Robert 34
2006 Henneke, Norbert "Buck" 37
Julius Pagel photo contributed by Rox Ann Johnson