Watch the Pins Fly on Tuesday Nights

Long before Van Abels added a bowling alley to their tavern,  rolling a ball toward a grouping of pins was a favorite pastime. Bowling can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, and a quick Google search will set the stage for its long history leading to the 1950s and the Golden Age of Bowling, where “bowling bars” were found in every small community, including Hollandtown, where the place to bowl was at the Van Abel alleys. For many years Van Abels offered league bowling for couples, for men, and on Tuesday nights they hosted the Hollandtown Ladies League. 

During this “golden age” the Appleton Post-Crescent, the Green Bay Press-Gazette and other area newspapers devoted space for bowling news. From September to March/April, which was the traditional bowling schedule for the ladies league, a member reported to the local newspapers weekly statistics. These reports can be found as early as November 1948. Team rosters were not reported, but team wins and losses for many years were duly noted, along with high scores for individuals and teams. The Hollandtown Ladies League “regularly” reported to the Appleton Post-Crescent until the end of the 1953-1954 season.

Below is an overview, which is not meant to be definitive, of the teams and bowlers who made the news from 1948-1954.

1948-1949

Teams: D-X, Geenen’s, White Clover Dairy, Van Abel’s, VanderLoop’s Hay, Zirbel’s Insurance

November 16, 1948: “Three teams, D-X, White Clover Dairy and Vanderloop’s Hay bowled identical team series…The score bowled by the three teams was 2223 and was high team series for the evening. The Dairy team also bowled a high team game of 793.”¹

Team Members in the news: Charlotte Eiting, Lillian Eiting, Magdalen Eiting, Marie Fassbender, Rosemary Fassbender, Dolores Gehl, Mary Lamers, B. Schmidt, Cecelia Schmidt, Agnes Verbockel

Team Standings on March 22, 1949. Not noted as the Season Finale, but CLOSE to the end of the Season

1. D-X – Wins 54, Losses 27
2. Vanderloop’s Hay – Wins 53, Losses 28
3. Zirbel’s Insurance – Wins 47, Losses 34
4. White Clover Dairy – Wins, 43, Losses 38
5. Geenen’s – Wins 28, Losses 52
6. Van Abel’s Alleys – Wins 17, Losses 64

1949-1950

Teams: D-X, Gib’s Shell Oil, Harger’s General Store, Van Abel’s, White Clover Dairy, Zirbel’s Insurance

Team Members in the news: Gloria Brochtrup, Mary Jane Brochtrup, Charlotte Eiting, Lillian Eiting, Magdalen Eiting, Nell Eiting, Dolores Fassbender, Rosemary Fassbender, Stella Fassbender, Bernice Van Abel, Theresa Mae Vand De Hey, Leona Vanderloop, Agnes Verbockel, Kate Verbockel, Martha Welhouse, Marie Wenzel

Team Standings at the April 18, 1950 Season Finale

1. Gib’s Shell Oil – Wins 56, Losses 34
2. D-X – Wins 53, Losses 37
3. Zirbel’s Insurance – Wins 50, Losses 40
4. White Clover Dairy – Wins 46, Losses 44
5. Van Abel’s Alleys – Wins 36, Losses 54
6. Harger’s General Store – Wins 29, Losses 61

1950-1951

Teams: Diny’s S., Ed and Hubs, Eitings, Gib’s Shell Oil aka Skelly Oil, Harger’s General Store, Monray Foods, Van Abel’s, White Clover Dairy 

Team Standings at the March 27, 1951 Season Finale

1. Eitings – 57 Wins, 27 Losses
2. Monray Foods – 48 Wins, 36 Losses
3. Dinys – Wins 43, Losses 41
4. Gib’s Shell Oil – Wins 42, Losses 42
5. Ed and Hubs – Wins 39, Losses 45
6. White Clover Dairy – Wins 38, Losses 46
7. Van Abel’s – Wins 37, Losses 47
8. Harger’s General Store – Wins 31, Losses 53

Team Members in the news: H. Ashauer, Bernice Bruecker, Gloria Brochtrup, A. Broeren, Anne Duffy, Leone Dupont, Betty Lou Eiting, Charlotte Eiting, E. Eiting, Lillian Eiting, Magdalen Eiting, Nell Eiting, Theresa Mae Van De Hey Eiting, P. Erickson, Dolores Fassbender, Marie Fassbender, Mildred “Hunce” Gerhartz, Mary Giordana, B. Haen, D. Jonen, Isabelle Lamers, J. Lamers, Rachel Luckow, H. Schwalbach, O. Smith, L. Starke, Theresa Vande Loo, G. Vanderloop, Helen Vanderloop, Leona Vanderloop, Agnes Verbockel, Tillie Vissers, Martha Welhouse, Marie Wenzel, Arlene Wittman, Lois Wittman, N. Wittman

1951-1952 – Season began September 11, 1951

Teams: Gib’s Shell Oil, Harger’s General Store, Hupfauf Tavern, Van Abel’s, VanderLoop Diesels, White Clover Dairy

Team Members in the news: Anne Duffy, Betty Lou Eiting, Charlotte Eiting, Lillian Eiting, Magdalen Eiting, Nell Eiting, Marie Fassbender, Stella Fassbender, Dolores Gehl, Frances Jarger, LaVerne Kasten, Rachel Luckow, LaVerne Mader, R. Mader, Lois Mahn, Stephanie Micke, Leola Trettin, Henrietta “Heinie” Vande Yacht, Helen Vanderloop, Kate Verbockel, Tillie Vissers, Martha Welhouse, Marie Wenzel

Team Standings at the April 15, 1952 Season Finale

1. Van Abel’s – Wins 51, Losses 39
2. Vanderloop – Wins 49, Losses 41
3. Hupfauf Tavern – Wins 46, Losses 44
4. White Clover Dairy – Wins 44, Losses 46
5. Gib’s Shell “Skelly Oil” – Wins 43, Losses 47
6. Harger’s General Store – Wins 36, Losses 54

1952-1953

Known Teams: Blatz, Geenen’s, Gib’s Shell Oil, Greenwood, White Clover Dairy, Van Abel’s, Vanderloop, Schlitz

Team Members in the news: Rosemary Fassbender Busse, Anne Duffy, Charlotte Eiting, Darlene Eiting, Lillian Eiting, Magdalen Eiting, Nell Eiting, Stella Fassbender, Mildred “Hunce” Gerhartz, Helen Greenwood, Joan Kavanaugh, Eve Lamers, Stephanie Micke, Leola Trettin, Helen Vanderloop, Leona Vanderloop, Tillie Vissers

Team Standings at the April 13, 1953 Season Finale

1. White Clover Dairy – Wins 62 1/2, Losses 21 1/2
2. Gib’s Shell “Skelly Oil” – Wins 52, Losses 32
3. Vanderloop’s – Wins 46 1/2, Losses 37 1/2
4. Geenen’s – Wins 43, Losses 41
5. Van Abel’s – Wins 42, Losses 42
6. Greenwood – Wins 34, Losses 50
7. Schlitz – Wins 29, Losses 55
8. Blatz – Wins 27, Losses 57

1953-1954

Known Teams: Geenen’s, Gibs Skelly Oil, White Clover Dairy, Van Abels, Vanderloop Diesel

Gibs Skelly Oil Team Members: Patricia Greenwood Vanderloop, Tillie Vissers

Van Abel Team Members: Betty Lou Eiting, Magdalen Eiting, Nell Eiting, Bernice Van Abel, Henrietta “Heinie” Vande Yacht, Marie Wenzel.

White Clover Dairy Team Members: Anne Duffy, Dolores Fassbender, Marie Fassbender, Stella Fassbender, Unknown.

Team Standings at the April 20, 1954 Season Finale

“Van Abel’s team² ended in first place…with 58 wins, 32 losses. In second place were White Clover Dairy’s with 47 1/2 wins, 42 1/2 losses. Gibs was third with 45 1/2 wins, 44 1/2 losses. Running a close fourth was Vanderloop’s with 45 wins, 45 losses.”³

1. Van Abel’s – Wins 58, Losses 32
2. White Clover Dairy – Wins 47 1/2, Losses 42 1/2
3. Gib’s Shell “Skelly Oil” – Wins 45 1/2, Losses 44 1/2
4. Vanderloop’s – Wins 45, Losses 45

Team Members in the news: Patricia Brochtrup, Anne Duffy (married Wilfred Van Abel, August 28, 1954), Betty Lou Eiting, Lillian Eiting, Magdalen Eiting, Nell Eiting, Marie Fahrbach, Dolores Fassbender, Stella Fassbender, Mildred “Hunce” Gerhartz, Dorothy Hilgenberg, Delores Kerkhoff, Evelyn Lamers, Bernice Van Abel, Henrietta “Heinie” Vande Yacht, Dorothy Vande Loo, Leona Vanderloop, Patricia Greenwood Vanderloop, Kate Verbockel, Dorothy Ver Hoonen, Tillie Vissers, Marie Wenzel

SOURCES

1. “Three Hollandtown Teams Bowl Identical Series of 2,223 Tuesday,” Appleton Post-Crescent, 19 November 1948, Friday, p. 7, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 29 November 2025). ↩︎
2. “Van Abel’s Team is the Winner,” Appleton Post-Crescent, 30 April 1954, Friday, p. 4, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 December 2025). ↩︎
3. “Ladies League Ends Season,” Appleton Post-Crescent, 26 April 1954, Monday, p. 10, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 December 2025). ↩︎