Texas Seaport Museum / Tall Ship ELISSA
Independence Trail Region
Galveston was established as a port of entry by the Mexican government in 1825 and it quickly rose to become the busiest port on the Gulf Coast and, by many accounts, the second busiest port in the United States (after New York City).
During the Texas Revolution, the port of Galveston was the base of operations for the Texas Navy. The town developed quickly after Texas won independence.
The Texas Seaport Museum tells the fascinating story of seaborne commerce and immigration in Texas. Visitors can search for ancestors in the database containing the names of more than 133,000 immigrants who entered the United States through Galveston, “The Ellis Island of the West”.