In all the times that I've driven down to Galveston, Texas, I can't believe I haven't added it as part of the scenic route. Especially in light of the fact that we love this city!
Galveston is a city with tons of history. Before it was anything, it was a hideout for the pirate, Jean Lafitte.
There's a historical marker and the ruins of his house, Maison Rouge. He lived in Galveston from 1817 until 1820, when he was asked by the United States Government to leave the island. Upon doing so, he burned his home, the fort and the village.
By 1860, Galveston was the "Ellis Island of the West". This is the immigration station in Galveston. The station itself opened in 1906. Between 1907 and 1914, over 50,000 immigrants came to the US through Galveston. This building was erected in 1933 and was in use as an immigration station until 1940.
In 1900, one of the worst natural disasters struck Galveston. A hurricane demolished the city killing between 6000 and 12000 people. These two dorms for St. Mary's Orphanage were practically on the beach. The buildings were demolished by the waves. All ten of the Sisters of Mercy were killed. Only three of the ninety plus children survived.
This is currently the Bryan Museum. Originally, it was another orphan's asylum that was built in 1895 by Henry Rosenberg. This building was also damaged during the storm of 1900 but was rebuilt in 1902. The Orphanage closed in 1967. In 2013, it was bought by JP Bryan and he converted it to a museum.
One of the most iconic buildings in Galveston is the Bishop's Palace. This home was built in 1892 by Walter Gresham. He and his wife had nine children. The house survived the hurricane. In 1923, the catholic diocese purchased the house and the Bishop Christopher Byrne lived there until 1963 when the house was opened to the public. Located on Broadway Avenue, The Bishop's Palace was in the highest spot on the island. During the 1900 storm, the flood waters rose 15 feet submerging quite a bit of the city. After the storm, the entire island was raised about 17 feet by pumping sand underneath the buildings.
Directly across the street is Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The original building was erected in 1892 but was lost in the storm of 1900. This building was erected in 1903.
Also part of the Holy Family Diocese in Galveston is St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica. It was completed in 1848 and survived the hurricane of 1900 with minimal damage.
Holy Family diocese in Galveston has five churches on the island and St. Patrick's is one of them. The church was built in 1877.
During the 1900 storm, several people went to the church to wait it out. Unfortunately, the church collapsed during the storm and those inside died. The photo above shows the church after the storm. The photo is part of a collection in the Galveston Historical Museum, which is housed in the Old Galveston County Courthouse. It's free and definitely worth a visit.
Another of the iconic buildings on Broadway is the Moody Mansion. The house was built by Narcissa Willis in 1894. When she died, William Moody bought the house for his family. The house survived the storm of 1900. The Moodys were a very prominent family in Galveston. He was a banker and financier. After her father's death, Mary Moody Northen lived in the house until she died. The house is now a museum and well worth a visit.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Sam and Rosario Maceo ran Galveston. They owned a club called the Balinese Room. The club itself was at the far end of the pier that went 600 feet into the Gulf. In the back room of the club was a gambling room. The Texas Rangers tried for many years to raid the place but failed every time. When the band would see the police coming, they would play the song, "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You". That was the warning. By the time the authorities got the the gambling room, all evidence of the illegal games was gone.
The original Balinese room closed in 1957. In the 1970s, it had been reopened as a dinner club by Johnny Mitchell. It was reopened again in 2001. Then in 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed the entire pier. All that's left of the Balinese room is this pier pergola.
The Grand Galvez Hotel opened in 1911 as the Hotel Galvez. It's across the street from the beach. In 1940, WL Moody bought the hotel and updated it to include a pool. From 1941 - 1944, the coast guard commandeered the hotel to use as its wartime headquarters. In 1965, the hotel was closed for remodeling. It survived Hurricane's Carla, Alicia and Ike. And, of course, there are rumors of hauntings. I've always wanted to stay there but have not yet had the pleasure.
At one point, Galveston was called The Wall Street of the South. On the Strand, which is the street closest to the bay side water front, there were banks, wholesale houses, cotton factors, grocers, commissions merchants and dry goods companies. The building on the left was Hendley's Row. Built in 1850, it's actually four buildings with a brick wall between them. That was to help prevent fires from spreading from one building to another. The buildings were erected for the Hendley brothers who were merchants and cotton factors. During the Civil War, the building served as a watch post. Now it contains stores and restaurants on the first floor, offices and/or apartments on the upper floors. And, of course, there are rumors of hauntings.
This is the Grand 1894 Opera House. It has survived all the hurricanes that have hit Galveston. It's now a performing arts house. We saw a play there during the Dicken's on the Strand festival.
We were in the upper balcony so we got some nice pictures. The play we saw was "A Christmas Carol".
The play fit into the whole "Dickens on the Strand" theme. It was a cool theater and I was very glad that I was able to go inside and see it. It's over 100 years old. I love that Galveston is all about preserving its history.
Galveston is such a great town. We usually go in the winter when there aren't many tourists. This year we went in July. It was not nearly as crowded as we would have thought. We're told the beaches aren't nearly as nice as those in other places, which is fine with me. We liked to walk on the seawall but not necessarily go in the water. The seawall was built after the 1900 storm as sort of a barrier between the Gulf of Mexico and the city itself.
About 54K people live on the island. They have two big grocery stores: Kroger and Randall's. They also have a few one-off grocery stores. When you drive down Broadway, you still see a lot of the grand homes but, for as many that have been saved, there are just as many that have been torn down and replaced by parking lots or tire stores.
There are several fast food chains but not many chain restaurants. For an island with only 54K people, they have a ton of good restaurants! Gaido's has been there since 1911. It is still run by the same family (fourth generation!). The food is good. Other restaurants include the Original Mexican Cafe, Shrimp N Stuff, Boulevard Seafood, and Mario's Seawall, just to name a few.
Every time we go down, we think we need to move here. Once we get through Houston, we know that we're close and the excitement of getting there builds. The vibe of the city makes you think of "Island Time". When we see the bridge, my body and my mind start to relax. I know it's going to be a lovely time.
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