Galveston Landmarks - June 1st, 2009
The 1900 Great Storm Statue
Stone seats circling it were pushed away by Hurricane Ike
The statue is at 48th and Seawall Blvd near Holiday Inn
This historical marker did not survive the storm
Marker to the Galveston Seawall and grade raising
Rocks collect at the base of the seawall
Markers to the Seawall Trail and Seawall Boulevard upon Battery Laval
Three markers on Battery Laval, left most is about the Texas Sesquicentennial
Middle one on the Seawall Blvd (39th-53rd St) completion in 1962
Right side a marker to the beautification of Galveston & Houston
Looking east, sandy beach still being replenished after Ike
No work done on the Flagship since Ike, perhaps it's abandoned
View of beach around the Flagship entrance
View down seawall and beach away from Flagship
First entrance to Flagship is still collapsed
The lower floor of Flagship Hotel is still boarded up
View of beach and waves underneath the hotel
Straight on view of collapsed ramp, no entry please
Good ramp is fenced off with barbwire
Graffiti tagging inside exposed rooms, barbwire not very effective
Side view of the collapsed ramp
Another angle of the fenced off ramp
Murdochs souvenir shop is being rebuilt beyond the Flagship
Back in car for a driveby of the Flagship Hotel
And continue the driveby past the new Murdochs souvenir shop just beyond
Grabbed a oyster/shrimp lunch special at Benno's
Dropped off a 46oz coffee can full of beverage can pull tabs at the Ronald McDonald House for children seeking medical treatment
General Sidney Sherman fought at San Jacinto, commanded Galveston for the CSA 1861-1862, and established Texas Railroads
World War II Memorial at Broadway and 23rd Street listing all the Galveston County residents who died during WWII
Ten Commandments face the World War II Memorial
The 72 ft. Texas Hereos Monument at 25th & Broadway was commissioned
by Henry Rosenberg & honors those who fought & died in the Battle
Of San Jacinto to win freedom for the Republic of Texas from Mexico
Courage on the far left
Patriotism and Houston middle frame above row
Devotion and Austin far right
Honor and Devotion seen on these two sides
Honor at the top pedestal and April 21st, 1836
Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Broadway & 14th St.) was built in 1904
Featuring Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic, & Romanesque styles
Mansion built 1893-1895 for Mrs. Richard S. Willis who lived here until 1899
William Moody Jr. bought the home in 1900 and passed away in 1954
More oak trees are dying down Broadway in front of the Mansion
Visit the Jack Johnson tree carving in August 2012
The carving is off Broadway at 45th Street
Galvestonian Johnson was world champ in 1905
Prior statues didn't fare as well this one has
Drop by on the way to Leo's Cajun Kitchen on 32nd
They couldn't knock him out so they tried to tear him down
Visit the 1880 Galveston Garten Verein (garden club) in August 2013
Located at Avenue O and 27th Street in Kempner Park
Zoom in on the palm tree with spectacular orange blossoms
The stone arbor is known as the Kempner Park Monument
Tiered octagonal dancing pavilion is available for rental
A perfect location for a wedding reception
Hey look a-yonder, it's the orange blossom special!
Next visit the 1861 US Customs House and Court House
Now home of the Galveston Historical Foundation
Union forces captured the city on October 9, 1862
But were driven out January 1st, 1863 until June 19, 1865
Alex guards the ground floor courthouse safe
Upstairs courthouse now used to display quilts
Awesome Curious George quilt with monkeys and bananas
Corner office is now a kitchen, with more hanging quilts
Offices and one jail room on the 2nd floor
Take the elevator upstairs and the stairs down
View of Customs House on the Post Office St. side
The US Customs House is for sale!? Quilts included?
Visit Galveston's historic homes in June 2014
Stop first at the 1838 Menard greek revival home
Menard signed the Texas Declaration of Independence
Next, visit the 1839 Samuel May Williams home
Combination Creole-plantation & New England architecture
Williams was the founder of the Texas Navy
Next is the 1859 St. Joseph's Church
The oldest German Catholic Church in Texas and the oldest wooden church building in Galveston
Galveston was home to 3,000 German immigrants in 1859
Repaired, enlarged, and redecorated within a year after the 1900 Storm
Next is Jack Johnson Park, created in November 2012
Park creators try to keep this memorial intact
Johnson statue and historical commission plaque inside
Undisputed heavy weight champ of the world 1908-1915
An icon precisely because he refused to stay in his place
Next, head to the strand looking west from 23rd street
Spin 180° and look east from 23rd street
Still looking east but from 22nd or Kempner Street
Rotate clockwise 45° to a historical sign at the parking lot
Plaque was unveiled weeks ago for this year's Juneteenth
Col. Bubbie's opened in 1972 but he died in 2009, his wife is ready to retire
On Harborside Drive, just past 15th Street, in July 2018
The site of legendary pirate Jean Lafitte's Maison Rouge
Lafitte burned his fort down when he left Galveston in 1821
This building was built in 1870 on top of the fort's foundation
One of Lafitte's men went to the mainland, and settled there
James Campbell's settlement eventually became Texas City
Park & walk to see another of Nick Clayton's masterpieces, Old Red
The very first building of the UT Medical Branch, completed in 1891
The building was named for Ashbel Smith in 1949
Smith organized the Texas Medical College in 1873
Smith was Texas Sec-O-State, CSA Colonel, & Chair of UT Board of Regents
Smith became the Dean of the Texas Medical School in 1876
Walk up the steps to enter the building's main entrance
Construction of the first UT Med School building began in 1890
Many familiar names were on the 1890 UT Board of Regents
Check out the detail in the arches & different colored bricks
Lone Stars on column capitals are protected by anti-pigeon spikes
Inside are see medical greats: Imhotep, Hippocrates, Galen, Maimonides, . . .
Andreas Vesalius, Ambroise Pare and on the right side: Marie Curie
. . . WC Roentgen, Jo Lister, Lou Pasteur & Williams Morton & Harvey
Head to the 2nd floor on the east side to see the great auditorium
The 1890 podium boasting the great seal of The University of Texas
Climb up to the 3rd floor . . . watch that first step Margo!
The view thousands of eventual doctors & nurses all shared over time
And now know what is inside the rounded end of the building
Head back down and find a door to a small 2nd floor balcony
Step outside to see the brick detail & design from the small balcony
View of the arches from underneath the entry portico of Old Red
View the Keiller Bldg from Old Red's entry portico
Look back at Clayton's masterpiece and then run from mosquitos
Stumble upon an interesting house at 17th & Sealy streets
It is the 1890 Trube Castle fashioned after danish castles
The castle took 3.5 months to build and cost $9,700
The abandoned Galveston Incinerator may be demolished soon
Cross the causeway, take Exit 4 and find the causeway bridge monument
A marker to Campbell's Bayou is directly across the street
The original Galveston Causeway was built in 1912
The newest causeway was built between 2003-2008
The 2nd causeway was completed in 1939 and replaced in 1961
Commissioners Court for the original causeway built in 1912 or 1939?
The 1912 Causeway is one of the greatest engineering accomplishments in the US and was put on the list of the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Now restricted to railroad use only and maintained by BNSF
The center span drawbridge only provides a railway bridge, not a roadway
Industrial buildings along Galveston Islands' Harborside Drive are visible in the distance
Look over Bubba's Sports Bar toward the Welcome to Galveston Island signs
Look over the railroad tracks toward beach houses along Virginia Point
A very busy thoroughfare a hundred years ago but now a bypassed highway to nowhere, yet the History Machine visits them all
Look down the tracks toward the 2012 drawbridge in the span center
Here comes a train! Time to get off the tracks, quick!