History

Organized trapshooting in Tennessee reaches back into the 1800s, and the sport's roots in this state run deep. Generations of Tennessee shooters — from the early live-bird and clay-target days through the modern American Trapshooting Association (ATA) era — have competed locally and on the national stage. The association maintains a historian who collects and preserves records, photographs, trophies, and original press accounts so that this heritage is not lost.

A century-plus of Tennessee trapshooting

The earliest records reflect a thriving shooting culture across the state. Andrew Meaders' marksmanship was notable enough to reach the National Police Gazette as early as 1887. Frank Legler won the Laflin and Rand Trophy at Spring Hill, Tennessee on July 4th, 1905, and took the Individual Championship at the Old Hickory Gun Club in Nashville in 1907, a prize presented by the Peters Cartridge Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.

By the 1910s the State Shoot was a fixture, with national publications such as Sporting Life covering Tennessee events in 1914 and 1915. Tom Hale won the 1915 State Shoot, with John Noel as runner-up and Walter M. Williams placing third; W. H. Cochrane took the Southern Handicap that year. Memphis fielded one of the most famous Southern squads of the era, anchored by Bayard Snowden in 1917.

The tradition carried forward through the decades that followed: the 1926 State Shoot in Chattanooga (90% Class won by W. F. Campbell), the State Shoots of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the Grand American appearances of 1960 and 1976, and a long line of champions including Walter M. Williams of Nashville, Charles Morrison, Bill Brackman, and Will Morrison. In later years the association's ties extended to figures such as longtime supporter Jeanette Rudy and actor Charlton Heston, both photographed with Tennessee shooters.

From the archives

A gallery of photographs, trophies, and press clippings preserved by the association. Click any image to view it full size.

Historical documents

Original documents and press accounts preserved by the association's historian:

• 1915 Interstate Handicap at Memphis — period article
• 1915 Tennessee State Shoot — Sporting Life, full issue (Vol. 65) — large file
• Andrew Meaders — TSTA Hall of Fame nomination (2011), tracing his 19th-century shooting record
• Will Morrison scrapbook — decades of clippings and photos (large file)

More is on the way: we're working with TSTA historian Steve Williams to digitize the full historical notebooks for a comprehensive history. Have a Tennessee trapshooting photograph, trophy, or document worth preserving? Please reach out through the Contact page.