Texas Time Travel

Historic Overnights: Galveston Island

From stately homes that survived the Great Storm of 1900 to quaint cottages that paint a picture of the island's early German communities, Galveston has options to suit a variety of tastes and interests. This island city is a must-see destination for any heritage traveler who desires an overnight stay with a story!

Pictured: Exterior of Hurley's West Wing.
Credit: J.R. Shaw, Galveston Unscripted

About this Project

Launched in 2023, Historic Overnights is an initiative of the Texas Historical Commission's Heritage Tourism Program. This unique community partnership brings together preservation professionals and property owners to research the stories and people that bring these historic buildings to life.

Galveston is the first community to be featured in this initiative, which we hope to bring to communities across Texas. Local partnerships are essential to this project, and the stories that follow would not have been discovered without the help of our partners at Visit Galveston, the Galveston Historical Foundation, and the Rosenberg Library in Galveston.

Playground of the Southwest

During its golden era in the late 1800s, Galveston was a bustling port and one of the wealthiest cities in the nation. Today, the surviving homes of Galveston's elite are echoes of the status it once held as the playground of the South's richest and most famous. Dozens of museums chronicle Galveston's storied past, from its encounters with infamous pirates to its place as the second busiest immigration station in the nation. And, with a charm reminiscent of a bygone era, Galveston keeps luring visitors with its majestic iron-front buildings, nationally recognized historic districts, salty sea breezes and sandy 32-mile shore.

The Barber's Victorian Cottage, built in 1894.
Credit: Courtesy of owner.

Founded in 1838, Galveston gradually built its prosperity through the use of its natural deep-water port, the expansion of trade routes throughout the region, and the development of industry, especially cotton, in the decades leading up to the Great Storm of 1900. Galveston Island would find itself at the forefront of the state and region's growth and diversity, welcoming hundreds of thousands of immigrants worldwide who would settle locally, move regionally, and establish themselves nationally.

But, for all the city's advantages, this island was in a precarious geographic position, leaving it extremely vulnerable to the ocean waters. The 1900 Storm would become the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, with an estimated 6,000 deaths and over $30 million in damage (close to $700 million today).

After the storm

Over the decades, and after an unprecedented seven-year (1906-1911) grade raising that saw most of the island lifted several feet, Galveston found some of its old vitality. During the 1920s and 1930s, Islanders saw numerous hotels, clubs, and recreational opportunities emerge with mobile-friendly tourist development. In the 1970s, a new focus on preservation was initiated, bringing rehabilitation to areas such as The Strand Historic District and numerous residential districts.

The entry to the Educator's Townhouse.
Credit: Courtesy of owner.

Historic Galveston on Film

View archival footage

The Worst Natural Disaster in U.S. History

Winds reached more than 120 mph, with a storm surge of almost 16 feet, reducing 3,600 structures to rubble. In the neighborhoods closest to the beach, entire blocks were swept clean.

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The Busiest Port Along the Texas Coast

By 1880, Texas was home to the largest foreign-born population of any Deep South state. Most came through the Port of Galveston. By 1910, 27 percent of Galveston's population was foreign-born.

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A City of Firsts and Stories of Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War, General Order No. 3 was read aloud at sites throughout Galveston, declaring that all enslaved people were free.

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Use the dots above to explore more of Galveston's historic legacy.

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