1. Galveston is on a barrier island off the coast of southeast Texas about 50 miles from Houston. It runs parallel to the mainland about two miles out. The island is approximately 27 miles long and no wider than 3 miles at its widest point. The Karankawa were the first known occasional inhabitants, followed by the Spanish, Mexicans, and Texans. Galveston Island was also referred to as Isla de Malhado (The Island of Misfortune) by Cabeza de Vaca after he and his men were shipwrecked there in 1528.

2. Market St., West from 20th (1894)
This was a thriving commercial district where many shop owners had their living quarters on the 2nd floor above the storefront.

3. Another View of Market Street
Galveston City Railway first began operating in 1866 as streetcars drawn by mules. At the turn of the century, a transition was being made to electric trolleys. The 3rd floor of the E.S. Levy & Co. Building was where Isaac Cline’s National Weather Bureau office was located.

4. Cargo Ships at the Galveston Docks, Bonita (clipper) and the John Bright (steamer), 1894
Note the different types of ships: a Yankee clipper ship (Bonita) and a steamliner (the John Bright). Also note the bales of cotton waiting to be shipped out. The warehouse in the background establishes Galveston as a port city.

5. Murdoch’s Bathhouse - Bathing suit rentals and refreshments could be found here. Tourism in Galveston is flourishing. Note the billboard “Dallas to Ft. Worth to Waco to Denison” advertising a railroad company.

6. The Pagoda Bathhouse – Streetcar companies built some of the bathhouses to encourage more people to ride the trolleys and promote tourism.

7. Wagon Bridge Across the Bay (1894)
Wagon Bridge – This bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in It was one of four bridges in Galveston in 1894 (all were destroyed in the storm). Note the “rush hour” traffic.
Jetties – Railroad to mainland. Jetties were constructed in the early 1890s to control ocean currents and prevent sandbars from obstructing shipping. They are underwater sandstone walls topped with granite squares above the water surface.
Wagon Bridge Across the Bay (1894)
North Jetty (1894)
South Jetty (1894)

8. San Jacinto Day Parade, April 21, 1900
Market Street, April, 1900, 5 months before the storm. The elaborate building in the background is City Hall, built in It included fire and police departments as well as city offices. Notice phone #514 is posted on the Lott Bros. Grocers vendor cart. This was an especially important parade, because it was also the day of the unveiling of the Heroes Monument, dedicated to the Teas Revolution. This statue, a 74 ft. bronze and granite female version of Victory holding a laurel wreath in the direction of San Jacinto, remains a Galveston landmark today. (Taken from Texas and Texans: Step Into Texas History ancillary guide)

9. Houses of Galveston (Post Office Street in 1894)
Houses of Galveston (Post Office Street in 1894)
The port of Galveston in 1900 was a very wealthy town. It was the first city in Texas with electric lights, telephones, and the first Texas baseball team. The overall mood of Galveston at the time was one of optimism and the feeling that the city would grow to be the “New York City of the Gulf”. As a result, it was a city full of large, castle-like homes like the ones seen here..
Residence of J. B. Trube (Ave. I, 1894)
P.J. Willis House (Ave. I, 1894)

10. Beachfront Hotel (1894)

12. Looking West from 13th and Broadway (Sept. 1900)
Looking West from 13th and Broadway (Sept. 1900)
City Hall (1894)
City Hall (Sept. 1900)

13. Residence of J. B. Trube (Ave. I, 1894)
12th and Ave. I, Looking Southeast (Sept. 1900)
Residence of J. B. Trube (Ave. I, 1894)
Debris and Damaged Houses, Ave. I (Sept. 1900)
P.J. Willis House (Ave. I, 1894)

14. The Beachfront Hotel (1894)
The Beachfront Hotel (1900)

16. Looking up 20th St., showing City Hall - Galveston after the Cyclone
Looking up 20th St., showing City Hall - Galveston after the Cyclone
San Jacinto Day Parade, April 21, 1900

17. Wagon Bridge Across the Bay (1894)
The Wagon Bridge After the Storm (Sept. 1900)

19. The Docks After the Storm (Sept. 1900)
Cargo Ships at the Galveston Docks, Bonita (clipper) and the John Bright (steamer), 1894
The Docks After the Storm (Sept. 1900)

20. The First Section of Seawall is Completed, (1903)
The Galveston Seawall was built after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 for protection from future hurricanes. Construction began in September, 1902, and the initial segment was completed on July 29, From 1904 to 1963, the seawall was extended from 3.3 miles (5.3 km) to over 10 miles (16 km) long. Did the sea wall work? Yes. In 1915, Galveston was hit by a hurricane of the same size as the 1900 storm… 53 people died.
The island was raised as much as 17 feet in the years after the hurricane. See the video below for an explanation on how they did it.
The First Section of Seawall is Completed, (1903)

21. The Seawall Today

22. Popular Structures That Survived the Storm
Bishop’s Palace (Broadway and 14 St.)
The Bishop's Palace survived the 1900 hurricane and is now part of Galveston's Historic Homes Tour. This Victorian castle was designed by Nicholas Clayton and built by Colonel Walter Gresham. The construction covered six years, from 1886 to Following the 1900 hurricane and subsequent construction of Galveston's seawall, the Bishop's Palace was one of nearly 3,500 remaining structures on Galveston Island that was elevated as the island was fortified against future storms

23. Moody Mansion
(Broadway and 26th)