We trace how three families—Sealy, Moody, and Kempner—turned business success into civic power that still shapes Galveston’s health care, education, and arts. From the 1900 storm to modern foundations, the story shows how philanthropy functions like infrastructure.

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The Battleship Texas, a century-old World War Dreadnought turned museum ship, is truly part of world history. She will be calling Galveston home for the foreseeable future! We trace Battleship Texas from dreadnought legend to a revived future at Pier 15. Kandace Trujillo Gilman shares the hard engineering, funding strategy, and education plans that turn preservation into a sustainable mission for the last surviving dreadnought.

• defining a dreadnought and Texas’s big-gun design
• World War I service and five major World War II operations
• Why Galveston: attendance growth and sustainability
• Pier 15 dredging, monopiles, gangway, and ticketing
• historic deck restoration in longleaf yellow pine
• five-inch gun removal and heavy-lift logistics
• drainage fixes, interior restoration
• HNSA collaboration and sharing methods across fleets
• dry dock tours as fundraising and public education
• future programs: guided tours, overnights, special events

Galveston Unscripted on video!

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We open with a groan-worthy oyster joke, then dive into how reefs shaped Galveston Bay’s ecology, history, and seafood economy. We trace the move from open harvest to science-based management and examine restoration, recycling, and aquaculture as tools for a fragile, working bay.

• scale and role of Galveston Bay
• indigenous shell middens and cultural roots
• oysters as keystone reef builders
• growth rates, filtration, and habitat benefits
• industry history and economic impact
• regulation by TPWD
• license buybacks and private leases
• storm, flood, and drought threats
• partnerships in reef restoration and shell recycling
• hatcheries, resilient strains, and emerging aquaculture
• sustaining a wild fishery with clear rules

Galveston Unscripted on video!

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Two concrete tankers, the SS Selma and SS Durham, turn a wartime shortcut into coastal legend. We trace how steel shortages sparked bold builds, why those ships failed at sea, and how their wrecks still shape fishing, folklore, and engineering lessons.

• concrete ship origins during WWI steel shortage
• how reinforced concrete hulls promised speed and savings
• the Selma’s specs, accident, failed repairs, and scuttling
• the wreck as reef, prohibition liquor smash, local lore
• Frenchy LeBlanc’s hermitage and media spectacle
• the Durham’s whale-back design and underpowered engine
• miserable Tampico voyage, sales, towlines, collisions
• conversion to storage and Sportsman’s Pier, storm damage
• where to spot remains near Pelican Island and North Jetty
• why the fleet ended and what engineers learned about durability

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A vivid portrait of Betty Brown emerges: a bold Galveston socialite who turned privilege into service, steered a women’s home with hands-on grit, and shaped civic life before and after the 1900 storm. We trace the woman behind the legend, separating folklore from the record while honoring the force of her will.

• family roots, Ashton Villa, and early wealth
• European art study and expanding worldview
• public image, gossip, and social daring
• the 1900 hurricane and relief efforts
• leadership at the Letitia Rosenberg Home
• inventive fundraising and Angora cats
• defense of the tango and cultural pushback
• health decline, resignation, and tributes
• folklore, hauntings, and enduring legacy

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Two Galveston originals reshaped American rhythm and blues: Camille Howard with boogie-woogie fire and Esther Phillips with a deep, briny voice that bent genres. We trace their arcs from island roots to national stages, through reinvention, withdrawal, and lasting legacy.

• R&B’s rise
• Camille Howard’s piano power and Los Angeles breakthrough
• partnership with Roy Milton and Specialty Records era
• hits, changing industry, and a faith-led exit from the spotlight
• Esther Phillips’ early discovery by Johnny Otis and chart ascent
• addiction, return to Houston, and a patient comeback
• Release Me, Atlantic years, and BBC performance
• cross-genre mastery and late recognition in the Blues Hall of Fame
• shared island roots and distinct paths shaping modern American music

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We trace Dr. Charlotte Schaefer’s path from standout UTMB student to Texas trailblazer in public health, teaching, and women-led enterprise. A hookworm breakthrough, a sister-run pharmacy, and a fierce respect for detail show how small choices shape big outcomes.

• UTMB’s early years and the barrier for women 
• why “M. Charlotte” matters for historical research 
• the 1901 hookworm identification and public health impact 
• becoming UTMB’s first female faculty and later full professor 
• teaching histology with rigor through storms and pandemics 
• the Schaefer sisters’ sterilized, women-run pharmacy in San Antonio 
• community care, mutual aid, and ethical business practice 
• sudden passing and the legacy of precision, service, and courage

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A neglected marsh evolved into Galveston’s hidden engine, from a Civil War battery and a quarantine station for immigrants to a WWII shipyard hub and a maritime university that shapes ocean careers. We trace how silt, storms, and bold engineering turned two spits into a platform for ships, study, and memory.

• fragile marshlands
• early maps showing two separate spits
• Civil War fortifications guarding the channel
• post‑1900 hurricane dredging and grade raising
• quarantine and immigration through Pelican Island
• Seawolf Park and WWII naval vessels
• shipyards powering Galveston’s economy
• bridge access enabling growth and education
• Texas A&M Galveston and maritime training
• the island as habitat, history, and future

Visit the Galveston Naval Museum at Seawolf Park. Explore Texas A&M’s waterfront campus. Drive past the shipyards still humming with work.

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The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, just 30 miles north of Galveston Island, has been at the heart of American space exploration for more than six decades. This connection has created a unique relationship between coastal living and cosmic discovery, with astronauts living and working on the island and NASA collaborating with local institutions on innovative projects.

• NASA established the Johnson Space Center near Galveston in 1964 after a national search for ideal conditions
• President Kennedy's famous 1962 Rice University speech helped rally support for the Apollo program
• Retired astronaut Colonel Mike Fossum joined Texas A&M University at Galveston in 2017 as vice president
• Astronaut Christina Koch tweeted photos of Galveston from space during her record-breaking 328-day mission
• Koch is now part of the Artemis II crew scheduled to orbit the moon in 2026
• The Sargassum Early Advisory System (SEAS) uses NASA satellite imagery to forecast seaweed landings with 90% accuracy
• NASA has conducted Orion spacecraft testing in Gulf waters off Galveston Island
• Texas A&M Galveston vessels and divers supported critical spacecraft water recovery tests

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Galveston's historic hotels tell the story of an island that has weathered economic shifts, natural disasters, and cultural transformations over two centuries. The Tremont House and Hotel Galvez stand as living monuments to Galveston's resilience, from hosting presidents and even playing crucial roles in the city's development from the Republic of Texas era to today.

• The first Tremont House opened in 1839 during the Republic of Texas, serving as Galveston's social and political hub
• Sam Houston used the original Tremont as his headquarters when visiting and warned against secession from its balconies
• The second Tremont hosted five U.S. presidents and featured one of Texas' first steam-powered elevators
• Hotel Galvez opened in 1911 as a symbol of rebirth after the devastating 1900 hurricane
• FDR used Hotel Galvez as his temporary White House during a 10-day fishing trip in 1937
• George and Cynthia Mitchell revived the Tremont tradition in 1985, converting a historic warehouse into the current hotel
• Though opened in different eras, both hotels sparked revitalization and rejuvenation of Galveston Island's economy
• The hotels continue to welcome visitors as living pieces of Galveston history, not just places to stay

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