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Great Fire 1885: https://www.galvestonhistorycenter.org/news/the-great-galveston-fire-of-1885

Book: Galveston Burning | James Anderson

Photos & Story from Galveston Daily News:
https://www.galvnews.com/news/specialreports/free/article_a7fdf21f-96e4-5454-b3d7-b12d893e84a9.html

Most galvestonians are familiar with the 1900 storm and other major hurricanes. Another disaster you may not have heard of is the great fire of 1885, which burned over 500 homes across 40 city blocks, displacing thousands of residents. On Friday, November 13th, a fire broke out on Strand between 16th and 17th Street at the Vulcan Iron Works Foundry in the middle of the night.

The strong Northerly November winds spread the fire quickly into the East End District, burning just about every wooden structure in its path. From 16th to 19th Street and Strand to the Gulf of Mexico, brick fireplaces and chimnies were the only things left standing at most homes. Although it devastated the houses and structures, there are no recorded deaths related to the fire.

Thousands of galvestonians were left homeless. Luckily, local churches, businesses, and neighbors took in most of the homeless until their homes could be rebuilt. The recovery began almost immediately. At the time, Galveston was one of Texas's largest and most prominent cities. And the national media spread the news.

Within the first day of the word spreading, over $40,000 was raised to assist those in need. The monetary damages of this fire are estimated at around 2 million dollars, which is approximately 60 million dollars today. Although Galveston had a fire department, it was only a little over a month old at the time of the fire and had little experience and a small amount of equipment.

This devastating event led to a new and improved Galveston fire department, which all Island residents now wholeheartedly supported. If you were ever house hunting on the east end of Galveston Island and you were wondering why most of the homes were built between 1886 and 1890, more than likely that the home replaced a previous house on that lot.

One positive for Galveston is that the fire gave rise to much of the beautiful Victorian architecture you see on the island's east end today. Next time you see a fireman, be sure to thank them. We never know how quickly disaster can strike. 

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👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: Port of Galveston


Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
Silk Stocking Historic District: https://www.galvestontx.gov/648/Silk-Stocking
Ursuline Academy at Galveston:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ursuline-academy-galveston#:~:text=The%20Ursuline%20Academy%20at%20Galveston,had%20arrived%20on%20January%2016.&text=Clayton%20along%20with%20the%20convent,the%20Galveston%20hurricane%20of%201900.

The Silk Stocking District is one of the city's most intact historic residential areas, with most of the homes dating back to the late 18 hundreds.

The name of the district refers to the wealth of the early residents. They were affluent and could afford to build large, ornate homes, many of which still stand today. Like the East End Historic District, the architecture reflects a variety of styles and periods, including Greek revival and Victorian-style homes with beautiful stained glass and wraparound porches.

Rosenberg Avenue is the main thoroughfare through the district, stretching from Broadway to Seawall, then from 23rd to 26th Street. This entire area was historically recognized in 1975 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Silk Stocking District was initially developed in the early 1870s and had a mix of single-family working-class homes, a small corner store, large vacant blocks, and industrial sites.

The Texas Cotton Press was the core of the Silk Stocking District until the 1890s. After the Texas Cotton Press went bankrupt and was demolished, the area was subdivided, and the lot was sold at auction in 1898. Many of the homes built in those lots are the ones you see today. Big, beautiful, and standing strong.

This district was also home to the Ursuline Academy between Avenue N, and Avenue O. The Ursuline Academy was built between 1881 and 1885. The building was designed by prominent Galveston architect Nicholas Clayton. The Ursuline Academy was the first Catholic school for girls in the state and was a place of refuge for Galvestonians during the storm of 1900.

The Ursuline Academy was an architectural masterpiece. After 80 years of standing strong, it was finally destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961. The Silk Stocking District is now one of the most prominent Galveston neighborhoo

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👂Listen: The Battle of Galveston
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Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
Jean Lafitte in Galveston: https://www.galvestonhistorycenter.org/research/jean-laffite#:~:text=Jean%20Laffite%20(sometimes%20spelled%20Lafitte,hotbed%20of%20smuggling%20and%20privateering.

Jean Lafitte-Slave Trade:https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1231&context=ethj

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East End Sculpture Map

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Garten Verein History and Venue
Galveston Historical Foundation

Contact us: [email protected]

Transcript:
Garten Verein was established in 1876 by a group of German businessmen, initially established for the German immigrant population of Galveston, but had an open membership. The grounds of Garten Verein is where Kempner Park is located today.

The only surviving structure on the grounds after the 1900 storm is the 1880 Dancing Pavilion. This octagonal building is still a popular party and wedding venue. Before the devastation of the 1900 storm, Garten Verein enjoyed a clubhouse for gatherings, extravagant gardens, elaborate walkways, private dining rooms, a bowling alley, tennis courts, a croquet area, a bandstand for orchestra concerts, and a fountain with mini goldfish. Garten Verein was the first location in Galveston to install underground electricity, so the park was illuminated extravagantly at night. In 1923, Stanley Kempner bought the property and surrounding open space and opened it to the public.

Galvestonians have enjoyed Kempner Park as one of the city's most beautiful public gathering spaces for nearly a century. Kempner Park is a favorite stop for anyone looking to spot elusive migratory birds. Enjoy walking through Kempner Park, and watch out for squirrels. 

Key Words: Galveston, Texas, History, Island, Beach, cruise, cruise ship, vacation, Henry Rosenberg, Fountains, East End Historic District, Strand, Seawall, Bolivar, Houston, Audio Tour, Audio Guide, Free Tour, Free in Galveston, Grade Raising, civil engineering, first in Texas, German immigration, Garden Society, Kempner Park, 

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Supporters: The Galveston Arts Center: https://www.galvestonartscenter.org/

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Map of Rosenberg Fountains

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Transcript:
 Henry Rosenberg was a Swiss immigrant and prominent businessman who loved Texas and the Galveston community.

Henry Rosenberg left much of his fortune to be used on public projects to improve the city of Galveston, including drinking water fountains and the Rosenberg library. At the time of Henry Rosenberg's death in 1893, no fresh water was being pumped to the island. Most of the drinking water had to be pulled from wells or collected during rainstorms.

This made it difficult for all Galvestonians, man and beast, to access fresh, drinkable water. One of Henry Rosenberg's final wishes was for 17 water fountains to be constructed for the people and animals of Galveston. Each fountain was built with a unique design, and they were scattered throughout the urbanized portion of the island.

Shortly after the 17 fountains were erected, a pipeline from the mainland was built over Galveston Bay to deliver water to the island residents rendering the Rosenberg fountains impractical. After the 1900 storm, most of the fountains were stored during the city's reconstruction. Today, nine fountains remain.

Most are functioning horse troughs or dog bowls, as Henry Rosenberg would've. You will find many of the surviving fountains in the downtown historic district and the Historic East end. 

Key Words: Galveston, Texas, History, Island, Beach, cruise, cruise ship, vacation, Henry Rosenberg, Fountains, East End Historic District, Strand, Seawall, Bolivar, Houston, Audio Tour, Audio Guide, Free Tour, Free in Galveston,

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👂Listen: The Galveston Seawall - Protection, Entertainment, Recreation
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument

Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :

Seawall
Great deep dive Podcast on this subject : Wise About Texas Ep. 40 Raising Galveston and Walling off the Sea
 
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Transcript:
Shortly after the 1900 storm, and in conjunction with the building of the sea wall, city officials decided to bolster the island's defenses against hurricanes. As the sea wall was being built, the entire urbanized portion of the island was elevated using dredge mud from the ship channel.

Before the grade raising, the highest point on the island was only eight feet above sea level. The grade raising not only supported the seawall but also was set to improve drainage and sewage systems, which were badly needed but challenging to implement with an extremely low elevation. The initial grade-raising project took place from 1903 through 1911.

The project was accomplished in square, quarter-mile sections and involved closing each section in a dyke and then lifting all structures and utilities, such as street car tracks, fireplugs, and water pipes. Around 2000 buildings were raised and put on stilts using hand-turn jack screws. The sand fill was dredged from the entrance to Galveston Harbor and then transported to residential districts through a 20-foot deep, 200-foot wide, 2.5-mile long canal using four self-loading hopper dredges.

After the fill was discharged in the areas to be raised, new foundations were constructed on top of it. Today you can see evidence of many of Galveston's homes and buildings that were elevated during this project. Take a look at the bottom of most of Galveston's East End Homes. You can see that the original structure is sitting high above the ground.

Most of these structures were lifted and placed to the current height over a hundred years ago. The Galveston Sea Wall grade raising was one of the largest civil projects in Texas and the United States in the early 1900s. To get a good idea of Galveston's original elevation, take a ferry to Boliver or drive to Galveston's West End.

It's hard to imagine that the largest city in Texas in the late 18 hundreds was sitting on a low-lying sandbar while standing on the seawall facing north. Notice that the island slopes towards Galveston harbor. This was purposely designed so that any floodwater runs off into Galveston Bay. 
Key Words: Gal

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👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
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Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
Seawall
Great deep dive Podcast on this subject : Wise About Texas Ep. 40 Raising Galveston and Walling off the Sea

Contact us: [email protected]

Transcript:
The seawall was constructed after the hurricane of 1900 destroyed much of the island of Galveston. Before the great hurricane, Galveston was an economic powerhouse that reached only eight feet above sea level at its highest point. The recommendation of constructing a seawall had been considered for decades prior to the great storm by many city and community officials.

Hurricanes have always played a part in living on the Gulf Coast, but it took a direct hit to Galveston to disrupt and displace the economy and residents. The storm killed at least 6,000 galvestonians, which emphasized the fact that Galveston needed protection from the sea after the nation's most deadly natural disaster to date.

The citizens of Galveston remained resilient following the storm and began construction on the seawall in September 1902. In conjunction with the construction of a seawall, the residential portion of the island was to be elevated to protect it from future floodwaters. The seawall construction project required canals to be dredged from the harbor across the island to the beach. Barges and tugboats hauled material through the canals to the construction site. The first seawall project was completed in 1904 and extended from sixth Street, near where UTMB is today, to 39th Street, a little over three miles. The seawall is 17 feet above sea level, and each foot contains 40,000 pounds of concrete.

Over the past 50 years, the seawall has extended west past 103rd street and east past the Easton Lagoon to the ship channel. For over a century, the seawall has been Galveston's protection and source of recreation and entertainment. No matter what you're doing on the seawall, whether it's driving, walking, biking, or standing on the beach, it is difficult not to appreciate the determination of Galvestonians to protect their island home.

Go enjoy walking on the seawall. There are plenty of monuments and fun things to experience. The Seawall Dedication Monument is located on 23rd and seawall next to Murdochs. The 1900 Storm Memor

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Dive deeper into this topic in the links below!
Rosenberg Library: Texas Heroes Monument

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Transcript:
The Texas Heroes Monument is located at the intersection of Broadway and Rosenberg Avenue. An Italian, Louis Amateis, sculpted the monument. The monument was erected in 1900 and unveiled on the anniversary of the battle at San Jacinto. The statue was created to commemorate the people who fought for Texas during the Texas Revolution against Mexico.

The monument is made primarily of light gray granite, with the statue made of bronze. At the top of the columns are words representing qualities of the men who fought for Texas; patriotism, honor, devotion, and courage. Atop the granite blocks stands Lady Victory. She is 22 feet tall, making the monument 75 feet high. In one hand, she holds a sheathed sword entwined with roses; in the other hand, extended holds a crown of laurels. The north-facing side of the monument; patriotism. At the base of the column, you can see the bronze faces of the notable Texas leaders Sam Houston, Henry Smith, Edward Burleson, Benjamin Milam, James Fannin, and James Bonham. Below those faces, you will see a San Jacinto battle scene depicting the victory against Mexico. And finally, below that, you will see inscribed at the bottom a tribute from Henry Rosenberg to the heroes of the 1836 Texas Revolution. 

Moving to the east-facing side of the monument; Courage. This side contains a statue of a female unsheathing sword and ordering the Mexican army out of Texas. She is known as defiance. Underneath her is October 2nd, 1835, the date of the Goliad massacre, which is depicted on the base of the column. 

Moving to the west-facing side of the monument; Honor. This column has a bronze female figure who represents peace. At her feet are the names of the heroes whose photos could not be authenticated; Neill, Hockley, Karnes, and de Zavalla. Below her is the date, April 21st, 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto. The depiction underneath Commemorates General Santa Anna's surrender to Sam Houston following the Battle of San Jacinto. 

Moving to the south-facing side of the monument; devotion. This side has a medallion of Stephen F. Austin, which is surrounded by allegorical figures such as David Burnett, Davy Crockett, Frank Johnson, "Deaf" Smith, and William Travis. Below that

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🎟Buy Tickets

Interested in the information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
Read more: Bishops Palace  -TSHA

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