Galveston Historic Overnights: The Barber's Victorian Cottage
Built in 1894 by Adolph Helmann.
This L-plan Victorian Cottage in the heart of the Silk Stocking National Historic District survived the Great Storm of 1900 and was subsequently raised. Though built and originally owned by barber Adolph Helmann, the house's most notable occupant, Agnes Chapman, connects this property to a long-lost fishing destination that was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over the course of the 20th century.
About the Original Owners
Adolph Helmann was born on October 7, 1862 in New Orleans, Louisiana to German immigrants. In 1888, he married Augusta J. Cassel, who was born in 1869, also to German immigrants. They had two daughters, Hazel (born 1889) and Naomi (born 1895). The 1890 Galveston Directory shows Mr. Helmann working as a barber for P. Seidensticker, but by 1896 he had his own barbershop at 2008 Market St. and resided with this family in his new home at this property. The Helmann family lived here at the time of the 1900 Storm. Helmann ultimately took over the barbershop at the Tremont Hotel, which he ran until his death in 1921 at age 58.
A New What?
While some are familiar with tonsure as a practice among religious devotees who shave all or part of their scalp as a rejection of vanity and materialism, the term, from the Latin "tonsura" (meaning "clipping" or "shearing"), was once used to connote high-end barber services, like the kind likely offered at Tremont House Barber Shop.
Later Owners
1922-1927
In September 1922, Augusta Helmann sold the house to James M. Maurer (1876-1953), one of Galveston’s earliest and most prominent photographers and postcard publishers, who used the property as a tenant house. Maurer had his own studio for many years and was well known for his photographs of bathing beauties, the causeway bridge, and railroads.
1927-1951
Agnes B. Chapman (1888-1954), a widow with two young children, purchased the house from Maurer in 1927. Formerly a teacher in her native Ohio, Ms. Chapman was the widow of W.J. Chapman of England. At the time of Mr. Chapman’s death, the couple owned the famous Bettison Fishing Pier.
Keep reading to learn more about the tumultuous history of this long-lost pier and fishing destination.
Bettison By Ferry
First constructed after the 1900 storm, Bettison Pier was one of Galveston's most popular fishing spots in the early 1900s. Operated by Capt. Robert L. Bettison, his pier and fishing house were located on the North Jetty, seven miles from the city, and only accessible via ferry (pictured below). In addition to the fishing jetties, the pier also featured lodging with 25 rooms, a bait and tackle shop, and an upscale dining lounge.
A Captain’s Fond Farewell
In 1906, feeling satisfied with the success of his business, Capt. R.L. Bettison transferred controlling interest of the pier to Willoughby J. Chapman and J.H. Pierce. In the article announcing this transfer, it was noted that Bettison "was obliged to leave Galveston for some Western point in search of health" (Galveston Daily News, June 25, 1906).
The Tragic Fate of the Bettisons
Spurred on by the success of his first pier, Bettison soon got the itch to build another. Bettison's Tarpon Pier was completed sometime in February 1909, but as fate would have it, on July 21, 1909, another violent hurricane struck Galveston, the first major test of the seawall constructed after the 1900 hurricane. The seawall was a success for those on the mainland, suffering zero casualties. But of the lives at sea that were lost during that storm, two were those of Capt. R.L. Bettison and his wife, who were at Tarpon Pier when it broke and washed away in the raging Gulf waters.
Mrs. Chapman's Pier
After her husband's death in 1926, Mrs. Chapman communicated directly with newspapers that she intended to keep Bettison pier running, lest there be any doubt that she was capable of doing so. "The business of W.J. Chapman, ship chandler, who died last week, will be continued as in the past, according to information given out yesterday by Mrs. Chapman" (The Galveston Daily News, February 3, 1926). In 1939, an article was written about her legendary business ownership, rare for women at the time, even more so in a male-dominated industry. Noting the pier's destruction in 1909, 1915, 1932, and again in 1934—its prime fishing location perhaps partly the reason for its vulnerability to the elements—the article describes an "undaunted" Mrs. Chapman who, after a high tide lifted and destroyed the pier on a Saturday night in 1932, filed a permit to rebuild just two days later (The Galveston Daily News, March 17, 1939).