DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein. Now, there are clubs, and then there are clubs. The New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein organized in 1849 — which means German immigrants had barely had four years to unpack their trunks since founding the town in 1845 before they said, alright, it's time to shoot at things properly and officially.
And that's not just frontier necessity talking, though Lord knows there was plenty of that. The need to provide food and protect homes was real enough that many early settlers joined up. But these founders brought the tradition of target shooting with them from their homeland.
This wasn't improvised. This was a practice transplanted from the Old World to the Texas Hill Country, roots and all. As New Braunfels grew, the club had a recurring problem that most organizations would envy — the city kept catching up to them.
The Schuetzen Verein moved several times over the decades to stay clear of residential areas. They moved in the years leading up to World War I. Then New Braunfels doubled in size after World War II, and the club moved again.
It was around that same stretch that the Mission Valley Schuetzen Verein merged with the New Braunfels club, two traditions folding into one. And as New Braunfels kept growing, eventually becoming part of an extended metropolitan area, the shooting club relocated yet again. You get the sense these men got very good at two things: marksmanship, and packing.
But the heart of it all — the event that defines the Schuetzen Verein above everything else — is the Koenig matches. King matches, if you prefer your Texas in English. Held annually since before the Civil War.
Think on that for a moment. When the ammunition shortages of the Civil War hit, and they did hit, members kept the tradition alive by sometimes firing only once each. Just one shot, enough to maintain the status of the organization.
They did the same during the shortages of World War I. One shot. The tradition lives.
After more than a hundred and fifty years of existence, the New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein is still meeting. It's still here. A living reminder of the town's German heritage and its historic past — and proof that some things, if you aim carefully enough, just don't fall.
What the marker says
The New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein organized in 1849 as one of the nation's early shooting clubs. German immigrants founded the town only four years earlier in 1845 and brought the tradition of target shooting to America from their homeland. The need to provide food and protect homes also necessitated the practice in the New Braunfels area, as many early settlers joined the organization. As the city of New Braunfels grew, the Schuetzen Verein moved several times to avoid residential areas. The club moved in the years prior to World War I and then again when New Braunfels doubled in size in the years after World War II. It was also during this time that the Mission Valley Schuetzen Verein merged with New Braunfels' club. In the following decades, New Braunfels continued to grow, especially as it became part of an extended metropolitan area. With the city's continued expansion, the shooting club relocated again. The Schuetzen Verein's most important event is the Koenig (King) matches held annually since before the Civil War. An important tradition in the community, members continued it even through the ammunition shortages of the Civil War and World War I, sometimes firing only once each to maintain status of the organization. After more than 150 years of existence, the New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein continues to meet, serving as a reminder of the town's German heritage and historic past. (2006)