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The Custom House is now home to the Galveston Historical Foundation 

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Galveston's custom house was completed in 1861 after only 114 days of construction-a tremendous accomplishment in any era. The significance is even greater when one reflect upon the craftsmanship and durability as this is one of the only buildings to survive both the 1885 fire and the Great Storm of 1900. This building hosted a ceremony officially ending the Civil War in Texas in 1865-a ceremony that also signified the first occupation of federal officers in a building that was intended to be used by the federal government but home to the Confederate Army for the first four years of its existence.  

1861 Custom House

This short walking tour includes several downtown landmarks including museums, monuments, and historic buildings. More sites will be added to the tour soon. 

Walking Tour of Historic Galveston 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Jack Johnson made himself a world wide name when he beat Tommy Burns to become the worlds first Black Heavyweight Champion. This couldn't be tolerated in a society that still saw African-Americans as second rate citizens, and as a result, Jim Jeffries, a former World Heavyweight Champion, came out of retirement to face Jack Johnson for the title. This became the Fight of the Century, during which, Jim Jeffries lost to Jack Johnson rather easily. Jack Johnson was here to stay as the World Heavyweight Champion for the time being. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;During his reign as champion, Jack Johnson became quite the trouble maker outside of the ring where he was constantly breaking laws that didn't appease him. He often went well over the speed limit in towns and paid the fines in cash. His biggest problem, in the eyes of the people of that time, was that he was fascinated with white women. This interracial mingling of white and Black was not only unacceptable, but also illegal. As a result, Johnson found himself in trouble with the law over the matter and was actually sentenced to a year in prison for violating the Mann Act, which was the illegal act of transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes. He would flee the country to avoid this sentence, but eventually came back to serve his punishment.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Despite all of his success against incredible odds, Galveston couldn't accept Johnson because of his actions outside of the boxing ring. They often discredited him and didn't really want to be apart of his legacy of being the first Black World Heavyweight Champion. In later years, around 1980, the town made some small attempts to recognize the life of Jack Johnson by naming a street and giving Johnson a statue in his honor. Unfortunately, the street was a rough one that even the most die hard fan wouldn't want to visit, and the statue was not taken care of and became the victim of vandalism. Fast forward to 2012, Galveston has finally decided to honor Johnson in an appropriate way by giving him a park and a new statue, one that sits directly behind the Old Central Cultural Center.&nbsp;

In 1908, African American boxer Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns, the reigning heavyweight champion. The victory made Johnson the first African American to hold the title of heavyweight champion, an occurrence that upset millions of white Americans. Whites convinced former champion Jim Jeffries to come out of retirement and put the boastful Black boxer "in his place." Instead, Johnson humiliated Jeffries in the ring and proceeded to go out of his way to be photographed with white women-a social taboo that further infuriated millions of white men and women in the early 20th century. Despised by most whites in his own time, it took a century for his hometown of Galveston to name a park in his honor. Jack Johnson's statue and park was dedicated in 2012.

Jack Johnson (Boxer) Park & Statue

&nbsp; The Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church started out from slave members of the First Baptist Church Of Galveston with Rev James Huckins at the helm in 1840, under the name of&nbsp;"Colored Baptist Church". &nbsp;later moving to the current spot, at Avenue L, in 1855 under the name of "Africa Baptist Church" with&nbsp;Reverend Israel S. Campbell as the Pastor. &nbsp; &nbsp;The church was later destroyed by the 1900 storm that hit Galveston and was rebuilt by&nbsp;an&nbsp; African-American firm the Tanner Brothers Contractors and Architects,&nbsp;in 1916. &nbsp;Visible on the west side behind the brick church id the wooden church used in 1904. &nbsp; &nbsp;After the Civil War the church and the property was formally deeded to the members while still under the Reverend&nbsp;Israel S. Campbell as the pastor.&nbsp;The Reverend Clifford Thompson is the present day&nbsp;Pastor &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

   the Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church is one of the oldest African American churches in Texas, and is the oldest Baptist churches in Texas that grew from slave members og the First Baptist Church in 1840.  its original organized under the name of "Colored Baptist Church", they became their own church by the early 1850s. 

Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church

The Moody Mansion was designed by the architect William H. Tyndall, who also designed homes for Thomas Edison, William Rockefeller, and President Ulysses S. Grant.&nbsp; Tyndall’s work was commissioned by Narcissa Willis. Throughout her life, she asked her husband Richard S. Willis, who was an entrepreneur, to build her a new grand home. After Narcissa’s husband died in 1892, she tore down her old home and began to authorize the house in 1893. The fabulous home was completed in 1895. In 1899, Narcissa Willis passed away. Her daughter, Beatrice Willis, put the home up for sale.1 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; When Beatrice put the home up for sale, there were many interested buyers. Among those buyers were Libby Moody and William Lewis Moody Junior. William was the son of a Civil War veteran who was a successful mercantile and owned a lot of cotton businesses. In the year&nbsp; 1900, a devastating hurricane hit&nbsp; the island of Galveston which resulted in many deaths. Many homes and businesses were destroyed in this storm. The Moody Mansion survived the storm. However, because of the storms devastating effects, many bidders pulled their money out the bid because they feared another storm would occur and destroy everything again. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Because most of the buyers pulled their money out of the auction, William Lewis Moody, Jr. won the house for a grand total of $20,000, which was a fifth of what the property was worth.1 Soon William Lewis Moody Jr would have a successful career and his businesses would end up venturing out five decades later, impacting the development of Galveston’s economy due to many charitable foundations known as the Moody Foundation and the Mary Moody Northern Endowment. These charitable foundations grew to $1.197 billion and created many grants for the state of Texas. In 1986, the Willis-Moody Mansion was turned into a historical museum that displays the Moody’s lives and their successes.2 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Today, it is a historical museum that is open to the public and the hours of operation are from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The rooms are filled with furnishing and personal items of the family. The legacy of the Moody family carries on to this day with many charitable foundations that are impacting health care, education, and historic preservation. 2

   The Willis-Moody Mansion, also known as the Moody Mansion, is a fascinating 28,000 square-foot, four-story structure that was built in 1895.  With approximately 31 rooms, this unique house was once owned by the Moody’s, part of the Texas elite. The Moody’s were once a family  of cotton farmers and because of their wealth, they expanded their empire by creating banks, insurance companies, and hotels.

    

Willis-Moody Mansion

Ashton Villa was completed in 1859 and was nearly destroyed in 1970 as the manor had fallen into disrepair. The Galveston Historical Society launched a fundraising campaign that saved and restored the building, which is now home to the Galveston Island Visitor Information Center. 

Ashton Villa

Service Times
10:00 a.m. Sunday school
10:45-11:00 a.m. Centering Moment
11:00 a.m. Sunday Service
Reedy Chapel is committed to Reclaiming, Retaining, Recruiting &amp; Reaching others for Christ as a church family.

Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) is one of the most remarkable landmarks in African-American history. The Reedy Chapel African Methodist Church dates its origins back to 1848 when white owners gave the property to their slaves as place to worship freely. Until the structure was actually built, slaves worshiped outside. Reedy Chapel African Methodists Episcopal Church was one of the locations where General Order #3 was read which effectively ended slavery in Texas. As slavery ended, the church served as a school for freed former slaves. 
Throughout its history the church endured many hardships including The Great Fire and numerous hurricanes. In 1866 following the end of the Civil War the church became apart of the A.M.E. Church. The great fire destroyed the original church building in 1885. The storm of 1900 also caused significant damage to the structure. The Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) stands as one of the prominent fixtures in African- American history. It stands as a symbol for freedom and liberation for Blacks in the state of Texas.  
The Reedy Chapel African Methodist Church is an important aspect of African- American history. The church is important because it's a representation of Black liberation. The General Order #3 was read at this location, which outlawed slavery in the state of Texas. The church served as a place where freed Blacks were given the opportunity to gain an education.  Still in operation today, and holding regular services, the Church is an important aspect of African-American history. If you want a unique experience of African-America history come to the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Church.

Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Confederate Mariner Leon Smith, was the&nbsp;"Lion" of Texas coastal defense during the Civil War. Commanded marine department of military district. He was born in New England, &amp;&nbsp;went to sea at 13. By age 20 he was a captain. In 1850s commanded on the Galveston to New Orleans run of Southern Mail Steamships. In Feb. 1861, when Texas had seceded, he commanded ship taking Col. John S. "Rip" Ford to Brownsville to take military possession of the Rio Grande. In April, with ship and crew, volunteered in Confederate navy. With 2 days' notice, he prepared water-borne part of offensive that won the&nbsp;Battle of Galveston on Jan. 1, 1863. He walled his ships with cotton bales; in brief fighting captured the pride of the Federal navy. On Sept. 8, 1863, Leon ordered a Confederate ship into sea battle. Then personally rode through enemy fire to join Dick Dowling's 47 men on land, and fight in the battle that turned out to be victory of Sabine Pass. He and his ships helped prevent Federal landings to take food, water and wood from Texas coasts. They also ran Federal blockade and aided other ships in slipping past enemy patrols with Texas cotton to exchange overseas for goods scarce in the South: guns, ammunition, shoes, coffee, cloth, medicines. He died in Alaska on&nbsp;December 26, 1869.

This Historical Marker tells of a Confederate Mariner by the name of Leon Smith and his time spent during the Civil War. Not only that but it tells of his life before the Civil war though not at length. What follows is directly from the Marker itself and can be found on the marker at location.

Confederate Mariner Leon Smith Historical Marker

The Strand, a
great economic capital for the Southwest, helped cement Galveston as one of the
most important ports in the United States. This commercial strip hosted a
multitude of different businesses. These businesses contained: “…five banks,
wholesale houses, grocers, liquor and cigar dealers, cotton factors, commission
merchants, insurance companies, printer and eight newspapers, dry goods
companies, steam and sail ship agencies, auction houses, saloons, and sailor
boarding houses.” 1 For people coming into the Galveston port for trading
and exporting purposes, the Strand was a convenient place to relax and wait
while a trading ship loaded its cargo. This, in conjunction with the fact that
the Galveston port was, “… considered the second busiest in the country behind
the port of New York City,” 2&nbsp;helped add to the success of the
Strands development.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> With the port of
Galveston and the Strand complementing each other’s business, Galveston became
“… one of the richest cities in the world per capita. It boasted being the
‘third richest city in the United States in proportion to population’.” 3
One more influential factor that added to the success of the Galveston port and <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>the
Strand was the railroad system. In the 1880s, the railroads opened an
opportunity for vacationers or visitors to travel to Galveston from far
distances at a reasonable speed. These railroads also helped boost the economy
by exporting about sixty percent of the cotton produced by Texas. Because of
the huge influence of exporting cotton and other goods, the Strand was able to
thrive with the amount of people coming in and out of the city and become known
as the “Wall Street of the South”. 

Aside from being a
neat shopping area, the Strand is a beautiful district because of its old
Victorian era buildings. Part of the reason the Victorian
buildings on the Strand were preserved and rebuilt, was because of the “Dickens
on the Strand” festival. In 1973, the Strand Historic District was nearly
abandoned. According to Harvey Rice, “… the stretch was shunned by residents as
a place frequented mainly by winos and derelicts.” 4 At this time,
these Victorian style buildings were already beginning to be demolished and
replaced with more modern buildings. If not for a group of locals, the complete
annihilation of the historical buildings would have been guaranteed.

Among this group
of people was Evangeline Wharton. Her influence on the preservation of the
buildings, as stated by Harvey Rice, started, “… with the idea of a festival
highlighting the city’s glory days during the age of Victorian author Charles
Dickens – an event that would show that Galveston’s neglected downtown could
become an asset to city tourism.” 5 Her idea soon came to life, as
the Victorian houses started to be restored to their old luster for the event.
This festival continues every year during Christmas time, when they hold many
Victorian style events and festivities to celebrate and appreciate the
historical district as it once used to be. <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a>Although
the “Dickens on the Strand” festival helped keep the historical district from
being demolished, contributors such as the Mitchell family have poured a lot of
money into the restoration of the historic Strand. The Mitchell Historic
Properties website claims that the, “The Mitchells are committed to the overall
success and revitalization of The Strand District, Pier 21 and Galveston
Island. For more than 30 years, the Mitchells have invested more than $175
million in rehabilitating historic properties in The Strand National Historic
Landmark District.” 6 Not only have they reinvigorated the old
buildings, they have also invested a lot of money into disaster relief. One
example of this is as stated on their website: “Immediately following Hurricane
Ike which struck Galveston on Sept. 12, 2008, MHP launched a massive cleanup
and restoration program in downtown Galveston. Estimates by staff put the coast
of disaster relief, cleanup and building renovation at more than $24 million on
more than 20 buildings.” 7 This support from community members has
helped keep the idea of the Victorian era alive through the Strand Historic
District.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Today,
the Strand is still a popular tourist attraction that contains a variety of
shops and restaurants for visitors to soak in the history of the island. Although
the Strand may seem like another outdoor strip center, many locations in the
world, let alone the United States, have a designated district that supports the
Victorian era architecture. &nbsp;Even though
it has been an integral part for some people’s day to day lives, the natives of
Galveston still frequent the Strand just for its architectural beauty and the
sea breeze.&nbsp; The Strand is the perfect
example of a community’s drive to preserve historical monuments and buildings
to show off a greater purpose.<div><div>

</div>

</div>

The Strand Historic District, located on Strand Street in Galveston Texas, is home to one of the city’s major commercial areas from the late nineteenth century. Built in the 1800s, many of the buildings were heavily influenced by Victorian architectural designs, which helps them stand out in an area of modern advances. Most of the buildings have weathered the 1900 Galveston hurricane (revered as the deadliest natural disaster in American history) to thrive as the financial hub of not just Galveston but also the Southwest, unfortunately, all great things come to an end. In the 1960s, an economic recession consequently led to a considerable amount of the historic buildings being torn down. Due to the generous amount of support and proceeds from the Mitchell family, the Strand was able to be restored to the beautiful and memorable shopping strip that is seen today. 

The Strand Historic District

Known simply as the Hendley Building, this structure consists of four attached building and features the Greek Revival style of architecture. The Hendley brothers ran one of the leading cotton brokerages.&nbsp;The Hendley building was used by Confederate troops during the war and during the Battle of Galveston on January 1, 1863, the first cannon fire came from the roof of the building. Union troops fired at the Confederates who were occupying the building, and part of the building is still damaged today. Visitors to the city should view this damage from the USS Owasco, which is visible on 20th Street.&nbsp;&nbsp;The battle was one of the few instances where Confederate defenders were able to maintain control of a port city. The Union focussed most of their&nbsp;efforts on other port cities, and as these fell under Union control, Galveston became central to the Confederacy.The Hendley is one of the only buildings to survive the hurricane of 1900 that hit the city, the worst natural disaster to hit the United States to that date. The building was used as a temporary morgue for family members to come and try to identify their lost loved ones.&nbsp;

The Hendley building is the oldest remaining commercial building in Galveston. Constructed by Joseph and William Hendley between 1858 and 1860, it was the site of important events during the Civil War. Although vacant for many years, the first floor of the building was restored thanks to joint efforts by preservationists and developers.

The Hendley Building, Galveston 

In 1877 Alexander Hall and Company in Aberdeen, Scotland was commissioned to create a steel hulled sailing barque, to haul cargo across the Atlantic. At the time the “Age of Sail” was on a decline, and steam ships were quickly taking &nbsp;the place of the old wind powered ships. The owner, Henry Fowler Watt had a passion for sailing and believed that there was still a place for these ships in the commercial world.Elissa remained under Hall’s ownership until 1897 when he was forced to sell her due to his own financial troubles. She was then picked up by Bugge and Olsen of Norway, and renamed Fjeld. She continued as Fjeld until 1912, when she was sold again, this time to a Swede, and was renamed Gustav, this began her lifetime saga of different sail plans and flags. Her next change came in 1918, when she changed to a Finnish flag and a reduced sail plan, to minimize the crew needed to man her. Under Finnish ownership, she was reduced to a barkentine- a further reduced sail plan of one square-rigged foremast, and two gaffs rigged masts, she also had an engine installed at this point. In 1930 the plan was reduced again, to a schooner rig, with two gaff rigged masts, and a reduced bowsprit. By 1936 the sails had been reduced further, with the mainsail reduced and a new engine added. In 1952 she was sold to Greek interests and began life as a true motor-propelled vessel. Her sails were removed entirely, and her rig was turned into a single cargo crane.Her last commercial trip was in the 1960s, under the name Pioneer. She was used to smuggle cigarettes from Yugoslavia to Italy. While this may have been the final piece in her long and fascinating story, the fates worked in such a way that she was given a second chance. Her owners had a falling out, and she was left at anchor in Piraeus, Greece. She was sitting here, with the rusting hulks of other abandoned vessels awaiting the deadly torches of the nearby shipyards when the Galveston Historical Society purchased her for the low price of 40,000 dollars, almost free when one considers her age and historical importance. But, the maritime world has a saying “there’s nothing more expensive than a free boat”, and historical ships are no exception. After her purchase, the Historical Society wanted to sail her home from Greece, only to realize the full extent of work needed on board. They immediately began getting her patched enough for a cross-Atlantic voyage. After two years she finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, and the real work began. Over the next three years her hull would be rebuilt, her full Barque sailing rigged replaced, and all of her wooden brightwork brought back to life.&nbsp;Today the Elissa is doing well, and has found a permanent home in Galveston. As with all ships her repairs and restoration efforts are non stop, but thanks to her volunteer crew she is able to be open to the public most days out of the year. She also sets sail on an annual voyage, which is open to all volunteers.

The Barque Elissa is one of the oldest ships still sailing in the world. Launched in 1877 she has been on the water for over 130 years and has served well the entire time. She spent 90 of those 130 years actively hauling cargo, until she was saved from being scrapped in Piraeus, Greece. After being restored and sailed to Galveston, Texas she began her current life as an active museum. She is a National Historic Landmark and the official Tall Ship of Texas. Today she still goes sailing and is maintained by a crew of dedicated volunteers who train on and sail her year round. She is also available for functions and parties and offers seamanship classes and other educational opportunities. 


Walking Tour of Historic Galveston

1861 Custom House

Introduction

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