IT'S ISLAND TIME

America's Gateway on the Gulf

Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast, although shelling was disappointing. It is about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The island is about 27 miles long and about three miles at the widest point. 

Houston Ship Channel

It is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, West Bay on the west and Galveston Bay on the north. The far north end of the island is the entrance to Galveston Bay. Before the Civil War it was the largest cotton shipping port.

Residents of the island call themselves either BOI (born on the island) or IBC (islander by choice).  

The Great Storm of 1900 that battered Galveston Island destroyed over one-third of the island.  Over 3,600 buildings were completely destroyed and more than 6,000 people were killed. The photo below shows the the 2008 high water mark by LeRoy's hand and the one above his head shows the 1900 high water mark. 

Historical High Water Elevations

A seawall was constructed after the hurricane. Some houses were raised and many new ones were built on stilts.  Sand was dredged from waterways and pumped into the area within the seawall. The elevation of the east side of the island was raised by as much as 17 feet

Galveston Island was settled by Indians, Europeans, and the privateer Jean Lafitte. With Mexican independence in 1821 and the Texas revolution in 1836, the population in the Republic of Texas grew rapidly. The island became the primary port for Texas after it became a state.  Galveston was the second largest port for immigration making it a major population center until nearly the end of the 19th century. It was a major port of entry for many Germans who entered the state.

In the 1920s Galveston was hit by the bubonic plague caused not by rats but by the fleas on the rats. 

The city evolved into a gambling and drinking town.  However, this era came to a dead halt in June 1957 when the Texas Rangers raided the city.  They served injunctions against the gambling joints, even taking axes to the slot machines.

Variety of Shops in Historic Buildings

In the early 1980s Galveston began its campaign of renewal. It overhauled its historic downtown district. The Strand contains large and well preserved concentrations of Victorian iron-front commercial architecture. 

The Strand Historic District