DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker at Moody Hall has to say — and friend, this building has lived several lives, each one worth knowing about. It starts, as so many Galveston stories do, with the island itself. From 1867 to 1967, St.
Mary's Orphanage operated on Galveston Island under the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. A hundred years of service. That alone deserves a moment of quiet.
But let's go back to 1874, when land was purchased on the beach about three miles west of the original city of Galveston. Out there on that stretch of shore, a two-story framed building was erected — the original St. Mary's Asylum.
The Sisters ran it. Children found shelter in it. For years, that building stood between those kids and the world.
And then came 1900. You know the one. The devastating 1900 storm destroyed the building.
Just like that, what the Sisters had built on that beachside lot was gone. But they didn't leave. During the hurricane's aftermath and the long recovery that followed, a new orphanage site was purchased — this time along Avenue Q and 40th — and the work continued out of wood-frame houses while Galveston put itself back together.
Then in 1950, something permanent rose on that site. A three-story structure, built with aid from the community chest and Catholic charities, done up in the brick-square style of architecture with colonial elements. Solid.
Dignified. The new St. Mary's Orphanage building, still managed by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, kept right on offering housing, meals, and education to orphans and displaced children.
But the 1960s had other ideas. Across the country, the care of dependent children was shifting — away from orphanages, toward foster care homes. It was a change in thinking, and Galveston felt it.
In 1967, Bishop Wendelin Nold and the Orphan Association of Galveston made the decision to close the orphanage. A hundred years after it opened, St. Mary's Orphanage closed its doors.
Now, here's where the story turns instead of ending. In May of 1967 — the very same year — the Galveston College Board of Regents used a Moody Foundation grant to purchase St. Mary's Orphanage and renovate the facility.
In gratitude for the Moody Foundation's commitment to Galveston College, the building was renamed Moody Hall. A building that began as a refuge for children who had nowhere else to go became a college. The Sisters gave way to a Board of Regents.
The orphans gave way to students. But Galveston College has maintained it, all these years, for the education and benefit of the generations — and that thread of service to youth, if you follow it all the way back, never actually broke. Some buildings just refuse to stop working.
What the marker says
Galveston College's Moody Hall began as the second home of St. Mary's Orphanage. From 1867 to 1967, St. Mary's Orphanage operated on Galveston Island under the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. In 1874, land was purchased on the beach about three miles west of the original city of Galveston and a two-story framed building was erected that served as the original St. Mary's Asylum until the devastating 1900 storm that destroyed the building. After the hurricane and during recovery, a New Orphanage site along Avenue Q and 40th was purchased that consisted of wood-frame houses. In 1950, this three-story structure was built with aid from the community chest and catholic charities in the brick-square style of architecture with colonial elements. The new St. Mary's Orphanage building, still managed by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, continued to offer services of housing, meals and education to orphans and displaced children. In the 1960s, the care of dependent children shifted from orphanages to foster care homes and, in 1967, Bishop Wendelin Nold and the Orphan Association of Galveston decided to close the orphanage. In May 1967, the Galveston College Board of Regents used a Moody Foundation grant to purchase St. Mary's Orphanage and renovate the facility. In gratitude for the Moody Foundation's commitment to Galveston College, St. Mary's Orphanage was renamed Moody Hall. As a continuation of service to youth, Galveston College has maintained this historic structure for the education and benefit of the generations. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2017