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Hope for Coppini's lost sculpture and Galveston's distinct place in time and space | Sculptor and Artist Doug McLean Oct 13, 2021

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Hope is located at 2517 Avenue H
Photos, to support, and learn more about Doug's project, visit Galvestonsculpture.com
Doug McLean has a degree in Fine Arts he was fortunate to attend the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture in Maine.
His first creative challenge in Galveston was serving as the blacksmith during the restoration of the 1877 Tall Ship Elissa where he hand forged hundreds of the ships fittings and became an active crew member. To this day he feels his introduction to Galveston before the revitalization of The Strand Historic District put him in the right place at the right time.
Doug has been a long time resident of Galveston, Texas and has completed and erected a statue titled "Hope" inspired by famous artist Pompeo Coppini's infamously lost sculpture "Victim's of the Galveston Flood."
Doug discusses the calling he felt to undertake this daunting project, the process of working through difficult times during this pursuit and during a disaster, and why it is all worth it.
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: The Strand
👂Listen: Pier 21
👂Listen: Port of Galveston
Keywords: Galveston, Texas, History, Island, Texas History, 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, Galveston Guide, Port of Galveston, Emancipation, Juneteenth, Spanish, Bernardo De Galvez, sandbar, capitol of Texas, Texas Podcast, Texas History Podcast, Pompeo Coppini, The Alamo, American Sculptor

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James and Bridget Nash House - 2406 Church Street - Galveston, Texas Oct 07, 2021

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📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: The Strand
👂Listen: Pier 21
👂Listen: Port of Galveston
Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
https://www.galvestontx.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11192019-3214?packet=true

Transcript:
The James and Bridget Nash house is located at 2406 Church Street and is one of the few remaining side hall townhouses in the Galveston downtown district. Many buildings in this immediate area reflect the city's commercial growth from the Strand to Postoffice street toward Broadway and 25th Street.
The home was built in 1875 and retains a high level of structural and architectural integrity. Which is rare, considering it's in an area with many altered historic homes and buildings. The house was one of the last properties owned by prominent Irish immigrants and early Galveston residents James and Bridget Nash. James and Bridget arrived in Galveston from Ireland in 1841 when Texas was still an independent republic.
In 1842, James opened a small private academy, extended to both boys and girls, and advertised the following in publications around the island. Quote "Every attention shall be paid to the moral and literary improvements of children entrusted to his care." Many successful Galveston businessmen of the late 1800s were indebted to Nash for their quality education and superb writing skills.
After the death of both James and Bridget, the house was inherited by a son-in-law in 1902, sold, and used as a boarding house and rental house until 1934. The house was purchased by Greek immigrants Steve and Irene Safos. They lived in the house with their three children. The Safos family was active within the Greek community of Galveston. They owned the Two Bit Cafe and a liquor store at 11th Street and Seawall. Irene operated the liquor store while Steve ran the cafe.
The home remained in the Safos family until 1991 and then was sold. The house fell into a state of disrepair and was purchased once again in 2019. This time, the home was fully renovated to its Galveston heyday glory. Don't let the renovations fool you; the house retains original siding, trim, windows, doors, and hardwood floors. The entryway to the home retains the original glaze double doors, original transom, and original classic trim. The home has been resurrected as a luxurious boutique BnB, where you can spend your next weekend getaway in clas

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The East End Lagoon and Nature Preserve - Galveston, Texas Sep 28, 2021

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Audio Tour to the East End Lagoon Nature Trail: https://www.galvestonunscripted.com/eel
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: The Galveston Seawall - Protection, Entertainment, Recreation
👂Listen: Grade Raising of Galveston - Civil Engineering Marvel
Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
East End Expansion: https://www.galvestonhistorycenter.org/news/reclaiming-the-swamp-the-east-end-flats-1833-1954
East End Lagoon and Nature Preserve:
http://www.eastendlagoon.org/
Transcript:
The East End Lagoon has been a destination for tourists and locals since its inception on the far east end of Galveston Island. The East End Lagoon Nature Park and Preserve is located at the extreme East end of Seawall Boulevard, along Boeddecker Drive adjacent to East Beach.
In the early to mid-1900s, the East End Lagoon provided cabanas and had a clubhouse for the enjoyment of Galveston families and tourists alike. The East End Lagoon is known today as a fishing and birding, and nature-watching destination. The Lagoon is a project of the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, the city of Galveston, and the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council.
The Lagoon is a unique, invaluable area spanning almost 700 acres of diverse habitat, exhibiting the ecosystem of a Texas barrier island. However, the east end of Galveston has not always been the embodiment of natural beauty. Before the eastward seawall expansion in 1918, the Lagoon was in an area known as the East End Flats, essentially a swamp that extended from sixth Street towards the ship channel.
This area was extremely low-lying and had a few structures, such as Fort San Jacinto's military reservation and one of the Galveston immigration stations. The area was also used as the city's trash dump for nearly a decade. Once the eastward expansion of the seawall was complete in 1921, the South Jetty was extended. This created an erosion-resistant area in which the East End Lagoon resides today. The Lagoon is one of Galveston's largest undeveloped spaces, including one of the few remaining sizable tracks of Coastal Prairie, home to an increasingly rare ecology.
The site contains tidal and non-tidal wetlands, beach dunes, a freshwater pond, black mangroves, an upland prairie, and an extensive marine coastline. This area is a critical habitat for many species, so preservation is key to all those involved. Go check out the East end lagoon. And remember your fishing pole and binoculars. There are a number of walking trails

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The Rosenberg Library | Oldest Operating Library in Texas Sep 24, 2021

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📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
The Rosenberg Library: https://rosenberg-library.org/
Galveston and Texas History Center: https://rosenberg-library.org/services/special-collections/
Transcript:
The Rosenberg library was officially opened in June of 1904 as one of the many generous gifts to the city of Galveston from Henry Rosenberg. The Rosenberg Library is a successor to the Galveston Mercantile Library, one of the first public libraries in Texas, founded in 1871.
Rosenberg Library is one of the oldest public libraries in Texas. In July of 1900, the Rosenberg Library Association organized a charter granted by the state of Texas. This registered the library as a private corporation to give free library service to all galvestonians. A year after the library was opened, it acquired the collections of the Galveston Public Library.
This formalized its new role as the public library for the city of Galveston. For over a century, this library has been an integral part of the Galveston community providing educational services, historical resources, and access to millions of books and publications. But this is only part of what the library is known for.
The Rosenberg library is home to the Galveston and Texas History Center, which collects materials related to Galveston and early Texas. The collection includes business charters, manuscripts, and the records of several organizations and churches in the area, as well as 20th-century collections reflecting recent events and activities in Galveston and the upper Gulf Coast.
This collection even contains artifacts from the multiple battles that have taken place in Galveston. While walking around the Rosenberg library, be sure to check out one of the Rosenberg fountains on the north side of the building, as well as the statue of Henry Rosenberg himself in front of the library's east entrance. Enjoy access to the books, artifacts, and history the library offers!
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, Pier 21, Port of Galveston, Pelican Island,

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The Lost Bayou Historic District - Galveston, Texas Sep 15, 2021

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📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: The Strand
👂Listen: Silk Stocking District
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: Port of Galveston

Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below!
San Jacinto and Lost Bayou: http://www.sanjacneighborhoodassoc.org/Lost_Bayou_Historic_Dist.html
Lost Bayou: https://www.galvestontx.gov/634/Lost-Bayou
Transcript:
The Lost Bayou Historic District is one of the significant historic districts on the island on the National Register of Historic places. Much of the district is located south of Broadway, across from the East End Historic District.
This neighborhood sits where a small bayou or lake connected to the Gulf once sat. The district extends from 16th to 21st Street between Broadway and N 1/2. The city of Galveston was officially founded in 1839, and most of the inhabitants live near the downtown district. The rest of the island was Barron, with low elevation, and had many small bayous and inlets of water on both the bay and the beach sides, stretching across the island.
Much of the area between the Gulf and Avenue L and between 20th and 23rd Street was covered by a body of water known as Hitchcock's Bayou. Before the grade raising of the island after the 1900 storm, many homes and businesses were built around Hitchcock's Bayou. The Bayou was even the preferred water source for the military service camels that resided on the island in the 1850s.
The service Camel's Corral was directly behind where the Brian Museum sits today. Much of the area east of the Bayou was devastated by the great fire of 1885. This fire started near 16th and Strand and extended to the Gulf of Mexico, destroying many homes and structures adjacent to Hitchcock's Bayou.
Hitchcock's Bayou became lost, Once the grade raising of the island was complete. The elevation of the inhabited part of the island had increased, and the Bayou was filled with dredge mud. Once this body of water had been filled in, more lots were available for the neighborhood to expand. The lost Bayou neighborhood was soon built on top of the old water source.
It was developed initially as a working-class community with a few beautiful Victorian gems sprinkled around the area. If you are in the Lost Bayou District, make sure you take a walk down Avenue M. Among the smaller working-class homes, you will find magnificent and ornate mansions that rival the beauty of many of the homes in other prominent districts on the island.
I highly

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The Galveston Daily News - Texas' Oldest Newspaper - Galveston, Texas Sep 12, 2021

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Supporters: Galveston Running Tours: https://galvestonrunningtours.com/
📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: The Strand
👂Listen: Kuhn's Wharf
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: Port of Galveston

Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below!
Juneteenth order: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78300244/general-orders-no-3-juneteenth/
Galveston Daily News: https://www.galvnews.com/site/the_daily_news.html
Transcript:
The oldest continuously published newspaper in Texas, the Galveston Daily News, is not the first to be published in Texas. Between 1813 and 1846, at least 80 different newspapers appeared in Texas. The first copy of The Daily News was published on April 11th, 1842, while Texas was still an independent republic. Sam Houston was finishing his last term as president, and Galveston was a little more than a village of around 4,000.
Any cargo coming into Texas came through the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston. As Galveston's population grew and the city became a prosperous BoomTown, the daily news evolved from a weekly paper to a biweekly tri-weekly and finally a daily publication as Galveston became the most economically prominent city in Texas by the 1860s.
Galveston was a heavily used port for Confederate and Union forces throughout the Civil War. To escape the madness, the newspaper temporarily moved to Houston, a smaller railroad town about 50 miles north. Shortly after the Civil War, General order number three was announced at the steps of the Union headquarters on Strand, officially freeing all the enslaved people in Texas. The Daily News published the orders on the front page of the paper and dispersed the orders around Texas.
In 1884, the Daily News moved into a three-story building in the downtown district. The building was designed by prominent architect Nicholas Clayton. The building is on 21st and Mechanic Street and is now a private residence. Check out the stained glass windows above the second floor and the unbelievable ornate brick detail. This building was the first in the U.S., designed solely for a newspaper plant, and was the Galveston Daily News home for over 80 years.
The Galveston Daily News has a reputation for staying on the cutting edge of technology. It was the first business in Texas to install a telephone to embracing the internet in the early 1990s. The Daily News was one of the first in the state to begin

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The Grand 1894 Opera House - The State Opera House of Texas - Galveston, Texas Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: The Strand
👂Listen: Kuhn's Wharf
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: Port of Galveston

Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
Tickets and Calendar: https://thegrand.com/
First Opera House in Texas: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/opera#:~:text=In%201871%20the%20first%20real,and%20theatrical%20venues%20including%20opera.
Opera House Fun Facts: https://www.galveston.com/10-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-the-grand-1894-opera-house/

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1895 Letitia Rosenberg Home For Women - Galveston, Texas Aug 29, 2021

Show notes

📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: Silk Stocking District
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂Listen: East End Historical District
👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: Port of Galveston
Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
1895 Letitia Rosenberg Home For Women: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/letitia-rosenberg-womans-home
Silk Stocking Historic District: https://www.galvestontx.gov/648/Silk-Stocking
Photos of Grade raising and elevating the home: https://www.galvestonhistorycenter.org/research/buildings

Transcript:
The 1895 Letitia Rosenberg home for women. After Henry Rosenberg died in 1893, among the many gifts he left to the city of Galveston, the funds for building the Letitia Rosenberg home for women were one of the most paramount for the growing city at the time.
However, the founding of a woman's home in Galveston was not due to Henry. The initial idea for the home started years before the building we see today was erected. In November 1888, a group of charitable ladies met at Trinity Episcopal Church to begin forming a home for elderly women. These women assembled a female board of 17 directors and chose executive officers from several churches around the island.
Officially, beginning in 1889, the directors rented a house on 31st Street for $25 a month. Within a year, 23 elderly women lived there. Their expenses were paid by donations and subscriptions to the women who composed the board of directors. When Henry Rosenberg died in 1893, he left $30,000 to build and furnish the Victorian Gothic building, which still stands today.
The building was built in 1895 and dedicated in 1896 to Henry Rosenberg's first wife, Leticia. Henry Rosenberg saw his bequest as filling a pressing need in Galveston. Famed German architect Alfred Mueller designed this building. The home for women operated here until 1970 and shortly after became a private residence.
The building can be seen on the corner of Avenue O and Rosenberg Avenue. Impressively, his building was elevated during the grade raising after the 1900 storm, and the photos of this feat are just as impressive as elevating St. Patrick's Church. If you are anywhere near Pleasure Pier, walk down to the Silk Stocking District and check out the 1895 Letitia Rosenberg Home for Women, along with the other historic homes in the Silk Stocking District.
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 G

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Ferry ride from Galveston to Bolivar - Audio Guide to your Bolivar Ferry ride! - Galveston, Texas Aug 27, 2021

Show notes

📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: History of the Bolivar Ferry
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂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! :
History of the Bolivar Ferry:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/point-bolivar#:~:text=The%20Bolivar%20ferry%2C%20which%20connects,Arthur%2DBeaumont%20by%20sixty%20miles.
History of Bolivar Peninsula: https://www.bolivarpeninsulatexas.com/About/History
Old Photos of the Rail Ferry: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gulf_and_Interstate_Railroad_train_ferry.jpg
Port of Houston: https://porthouston.com/about-us/background-and-history/
Texas City Dike: https://www.texascitytx.gov/392/Texas-City-Dike
Army Corps of Engineers: https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/About/History/
U.S. Coast Guard Base Galveston: https://media.defense.gov/2017/Jul/03/2001772719/-1/-1/0/GALVESTON.PDF
Seawolf Park: https://www.galveston.com/whattodo/outdoorfun/islandfishing/galvestonfishingpiers/seawolfpark/
Galveston Naval Museum: https://www.galvestonnavalmuseum.com/seawolf-park.html
SS Selma: https://www.texasce.org/tce-news/behind-the-ss-selma-a-historical-landmark/

Bolivar Lighthouse: https://www.bolivarpeninsulatexas.com/Activities/Attractions/Bolivar-Lightlouse
Fort Travis: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fort-travis

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The Bolivar Ferry | A Quick History To and Fro | Galveston, Texas Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

📍Visit our interactive map!
Enjoy this content? Buy me a book! 📚
📱Social and other ways to explore Texas History
Tour with Spotify:
👂Listen: Ferry Ride from Galveston to Bolivar - Audio Guide to your ride
👂Listen: Rosenberg Fountains
👂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! :
History of the Bolivar Ferry:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/point-bolivar#:~:text=The%20Bolivar%20ferry%2C%20which%20connects,Arthur%2DBeaumont%20by%20sixty%20miles.
History of Bolivar Peninsula:https://www.bolivarpeninsulatexas.com/About/History
Old Photos of the Rail Ferry: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gulf_and_Interstate_Railroad_train_ferry.jpg
The Galveston Port Bolivar Ferry is a free 24-hour marine transportation system provided by the Texas Department of Transportation. This ferry system was not the first to carry passengers between Galveston and Bolivar. Early settlers in this area used their own boats to cross what is now known as Bolivar Roads.
A regular ferry service was not started until the railroads needed a method to move freight between the two points. The first ferries were essentially large barges that could accommodate entire trains, including freight and passenger cars. Tugboats would then push the barges from one side to the other.
The Gulf and Interstate Railway completed a line between Port Bolivar and Beaumont in 1896. They used these rail barges to cross Bolivar Roads, completing the railroad's link to Galveston. In the early 1900s, the ferries would accommodate train, walk-on, and eventually vehicular traffic. In 1930, after the vast influx of automobiles, a private venture built two ferry boats, the Galveston and the Jefferson, to accommodate vehicles and walk on traffic.
These vessels will make six to seven daily trips initiating the ferry system as we know it. This private ferry system was eventually sold to Galveston County. Shortly after, it was taken over by the Texas Highway Department, which became the Texas Department of Transportation. The ferry system has been expanded and improved constantly since the 1930s with new and improved vessels and landings.
The Bolivar ferry is much more than a means of transportation from one point to another. It is one of Galveston's most popular free tourist attractions. While on the ferry, there is much to see, including dolphins, hungry seagulls, a sunken cement World War I cargo vessel, and one of the busiest ship channels in the nation. You can walk on or drive onto the ferry.
The round trip only takes about an hour. It is free, and it is well worth the ride. Enjoy your ride on

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