History
Lt. Commander Edward Lea
(1837-1863) Maryland-born Edward Lea graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1855. At the onset of the Civil War, his father, Albert, unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to join the Confederacy. Edward became First Officer on the U.S.S. Harriet Lane. On Jan. 1, 1863, it was involved in the Battle of Galveston against Confederates under Gen. John B. Magruder, whose staff included Albert Lea.
Architecture
Magale Building
A fire on The Strand in 1869 destroyed an earlier structure at this site. John F. Magale (d. 1880) built this edifice in 1870 to house his wholesale liquor business. Cast iron was used for the first floor facade and window hood molding for the Victorian building. Similar detailing decorates the adjoining structure, erected the following year.
History
Magnolia Creek Cemetery
Named after the watercourse that forms one of its boundaries, this cemetery traces its establishment to the settlement of Willis and Hepsibah Perkins Butler and her mother, Martha Morgan Perkins; Samuel J. and Rebecca and Coward Perkins; Allen and Margaret Perkins Coward; and Needham and Elizabeth Perkins Coward in this area in 1855.
History
Mainland Mission Churches
In 1869, the Diocese of Galveston perceived the need for a church on the mainland to serve Roman Catholics. The following year St. Mary began in Hitchcock, and a mission church also established in 1870, named St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, began serving Alta Loma. These two churches were later renamed, respectively, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Elizabeth's.
History
Major John M. Allen
San Jacinto veteran. First mayor of Galveston. Born in Kentucky. Died February 19, 1847
History
Mallory-Produce Building
Originally built after 1877, this structure was rebuilt after an 1881 fire. Although owned at the time by D. D. Mallory of Baltimore, it was occupied by wholesale grocers Moore, Stratton & Co. and other businesses. It was known throughout much of the 20th century as the Produce Building because of its use as a wholesale produce establishment.
History
Mardi Gras in Galveston
Mardi Gras was born out of a fifteenth-century European masquerade ball tradition, where guests would wear extravagant costumes and masks to conceal their identities. The first Mardi Gras celebration in Galveston occurred in 1867 at Turner Hall, when a group called 'the Jolly Young Bachelors' invited 100 guests for 'dramatic entertainment and a bal masque.
History
Mathilda Wehmeyer German-American Kindergarten School
Born in Bremen, Germany, Mathilda Wehmeyer (1839-1903) arrived in Galveston in 1870. She advertised teaching services for young children, particularly those from Galveston's large German-American community. Her teaching philosophy focused around the German concept of "kindergarten." After initially operating from a house on Ball, she purchased this lot in 1880 for her school.
History
Maud Moller House
Built in the mid-1890s, this late Victorian home was owned by Maud J. H. Moller from about 1895 until 1911. She and her husband, Jens, were prominent in Galveston business and political circles. Cotton exporter and Swiss Consul Ulrich Muller resided in the home from 1898 to 1910.
Architecture
Max Faget House and Workshop
Architect Herbert Hudler Jr. designed this home in 1962 for NASA engineer Maxime Allan Faget (1921-2004) and his wife, Nancy, based on Faget's conceptual drawings. The modified rectangular plan is faced in buff brick, and the house is oriented to the nearby Dickinson Bayou. In 1946, Max Faget began working for NASA's forerunner, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
Architecture
Menard-Ganter House
Medard Menard followed his well-established cousin, Michel B. Menard, to Galveston where he married Susan LeClere in 1838. He built this house in 1882 for himself, Susan and their daughter, Marie, and her children. The home was purchased by Herbert J. Ganter and his wife, Bertha, in 1902.
History
Michel B. Menard
(December 5, 1805 - September 2, 1856) A native of Canada, Michel B. Menard came to Texas in 1829. He lived in Nacogdoches and Liberty before settling in Galveston in 1833. He was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, and later represented Galveston in the Congress of the Republic of Texas.
History
Nahor Biggs Yard
In 1838 New Jersey native Nahor Biggs Yard arrived in the new town of Galveston and built one of the city's first residences. Yard enjoyed success in business but is best remembered for his distinguished civic and military career.
History
Near Campsites of Louis-Michel Aury and Francisco Xavier Mina
A bivouac in late 1816 and early 1817 for an oddly mixed group of soldiers from many nations joined in the common purpose of freeing Mexico from Spain. Under two spirited leaders-- Mina (1789-1817), an impetuous young Spanish general, and Aury (about 1788-1821), a French privateer and soldier of fortune-- the forces drilled while waiting reinforcements and the best time to strike.
History
Nicholas D. Labadie
Nicholas D. Labadie Nicholas Descomps Labadie was born in Canada in 1802. In Missouri, he trained for the priesthood and later changed to the study of medicine. In 1831, he moved to Texas, serving as post surgeon at Anahuac.
Architecture
Nicholas J. Clayton
(November 1, 1839 - December 9, 1916) A native of Ireland, Nicholas Joseph Clayton emigrated to Ohio with his widowed mother in the early 1840s. After serving in the Union navy during the Civil War, he joined the Memphis architectural firm of Jones and Baldwin. In 1872 he was sent to Galveston to supervise construction of two company projects, the First Presbyterian Church and the Tremont Hotel.
History
Norris Wright Cuney
(1846-1898) Born a slave on the Waller County plantation of his father, Philip Cuney, Norris Wright Cuney was sent to Wyle Street School in Pennsylvania for an early education. At the age of seventeen he moved to St. Louis and found employment on Mississippi River steamboats.
History
Old Bay Lake Ranch
Established by Guy M. Bryan (1821-1901), nephew of Stephen F. Austin, "Father of Texas." Bryan was one of couriers for Wm. B. Travis's Alamo letter. Served in State Legislature (where he was a Speaker of the House) and U. S. Congress. Aide to Confederate President Davis and a colonel in army in Civil War.
History
Old Galveston Market House and City Hall
During the 1830s, an informal, outdoor market started in the half-block north of Market Street between 20th and 21st streets. In 1846, mayor John Sydnor hired Ives and Crow to build a 260-foot long structure in the center of 20th Street between Mechanic (C) and Market (D) streets to serve both as a produce market and as the city hall.
History
Old H. B. Moore Home
Built 1912 by Col. Hugh B. Moore (1874-1944), transportation expert. Born in Tennessee, he managed Texas City Terminal Railroad, Wolvin Steamship Line, Texas City Transportation Co., Mainland Co. Was a banker, leader in building dike, enlarging port, and bringing in industries. He was director of army transports, World War I.
Architecture
Old Red, Ashbel Smith Building
First, and originally the only, building of University of Texas Medical Branch. Master architect Nicholas J. Clayton designed the massive Romanesque structure. It was dedicated October 5, 1891. Although rooms were almost devoid of equipment, the school boasted a young, vigorous staff. Enrollment in 1891 was 23.
Nature
Original Oleander Planting in Galveston
Brought from Jamaica, 1841, by local businessman Joseph Osterman; planted by Osterman's sister, Mrs. Isidore Dyer, in yard of her home at this location. Transplanted when new structure was placed here, 1939, this oleander is an outgrowth of original Dyer planting.
History
Original Site of St. Mary's Orphan Asylum
Children orphaned by a yellow fever epidemic in 1867 were cared for temporarily in Galveston's St. Mary's Infirmary by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. In 1874 Galveston Bishop Claude Dubuis bought the 35-acre plantation and home of Farnifala and Laura Green located between this gulf front and Green's Bayou for use as a permanent orphanage. In early 1874 the Sisters of St.
History
Peter Leroy Colombo
(December 23, 1905-July 12, 1974)Born in Galveston, Peter Leroy Colombo overcame disabilities to become a highly accomplished lifeguard. Born in 1905, Colombo lost his hearing, speech and use of his legs at the age of seven, due to meningitis. His brothers took him to the Texas coast where he swam, regaining use of his legs, though his hearing never returned.
History
Pier 19, Mosquito Fleet Berth
Jean Lafitte's pirate ships (1815-21) and Republic of Texas Navy (1836-40s) once sailed here. Galveston Wharves & Cotton Press Company, chartered 1854, built early dock. Confederate marine assaults at sites in vicinity freed the isle city of Federal occupation, 1863. Rum runners allegedly invaded the area in 1920s.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
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