When was galveston founded

After platting the land in gridiron fashion and adopting the name Galveston, Menard and his associates began selling town lots on April 20, The following year the Texas legislature granted incorporation to the city of Galveston with the power to elect town officers. Galveston grew on the strength of the port; cotton moved outward, and farming supplies and immigrants came in. The city served as a transfer point for oceangoing vessels and coastal steamers which ran a route through Galveston Bay and Buffalo Bayou to Houston.

The construction of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad, which built a bridge to the island in , strengthened the link between the two towns. Business collapsed, however, when the Civil War brought a blockade of the port by Union ships and a brief occupation of the town by federal troops. The dramatic battle of Galveston on New Year's Day, , ended the occupation, but the port remained isolated and served mainly as a departure point for small blockade runners.

Following the war Galveston quickly recovered; northern troops were stationed in the city, and a depleted state demanded the trade goods denied by the blockade and the war effort. With so many susceptible people present, however, the city in suffered one of its worst onslaughts of yellow fever, which affected about three-fourths of the population and killed at a rate of twenty per day. This disease, a malady of most southern ports, did not cease to be a threat until the institution of rigid quarantines after Galveston nonetheless surged ahead and ranked as the largest Texas city in with 13, people and also in with 22, people.

It had the first structure to use electric lighting, the Galveston Pavilion; the first telephone; and the first baseball game in the state. The Galveston News , founded in , is the state's oldest continuing daily newspaper. The Galveston buildings, especially those designed by architect Nicholas J.

Clayton , were among the finest of the time; in the city won the site of the state medical school in a statewide election; and the Grand Opera House was built in and presented the best theatrical productions in Texas.

Sadly, the structure was destroyed by Hurricane Ike on September 13, In , the Galveston Historical Foundation sought to preserve local historic buildings and developed the Strand Historic District. Galveston gradually became geared toward family-oriented tourism, which it is to this day.

Today, Galveston still boasts top schools, historic districts featuring beautifully restored Victorian homes and hotels, and an array of restaurants and activities that attract more than seven million visitors annually. Please take a minute to subscribe and we will keep you posted on all the exciting news and events taking place in our area!

Skip to content Menu. Tailor your perfect Galveston Island Embrace a culture of lively Navigation Options Created with Sketch. The Galveston Historical Foundation went into high gear, encouraging preservation and restoration and currently more than 2, buildings in town are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At 32 miles long and two-and-a-half miles wide, the island is surrounded with incredible history and unique beauty — and easy to get to and around.

Coming to or leaving the Island? There are a number of limo and bus services, as well as the free, hour Galveston Island Ferry link to the Bolivar Peninsula.

History of Galveston T History of Galveston Galveston Island. Her Time Has Come, Again. Galveston Robotics presents Battle by the Beach on Nov. Visit Website. West End. Pool tables. Juke box. The resulting storm surge, which reached a depth of 15 feet in parts of the city, took the lives of an estimated 6, to 8, people in Galveston.

High winds and high water destroyed one-third of the city including 2, houses and 1, acres of shoreline. The force of the storm pushed buildings on the Gulf side into the center of the island, creating a spontaneous dam. Buildings and residents that survived the Great Storm did so because a wall of rubble feet high shielded them from the worst waves. In the succeeding years, Galvestonians witnessed the construction of a six-mile-long seawall, seventeen feet above low mean tide.

The sand was pumped from the Gulf floor and Offats Bayou to raise the grade throughout the city. Behind the seawall, all structures, including offices, homes, and churches, had to be raised to this new elevation. During the grade-raising, homes were jacked up, and dredges poured four to six feet of sand beneath them. The Building the seawall saved the city from both the devastation of future hurricanes and from being a memory of Texas history.

Galveston quickly gained notoriety across the country for the efficiency and determination it displayed while building the seawall. The engineering feat was noted as an example of how a city should respond after a disaster such as the hurricane. While Galveston was rebuilding from the Storm in , Houston was growing. Houston dredged a ship channel in and created a deep water port to compete with the Port of Galveston.

However, Galveston overcame that obstacle and turned to other businesses and commerce to maintain its economic base. The Strand and downtown Galveston were intact after the Storm but remained in disrepair until a renewed interest in the area began over thirty years ago.

The Strand National Historic Landmark District received national recognition for its Victorian architecture and the District has set the standard for historical restoration in other communities.