📍Visit our interactive map!

Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚

📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History

Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: Grade Raising of Galveston - Civil Engineering Marvel
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Silk Stocking District

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

Support the show

Galveston Unscripted Digital Market