DUANE
Duane's take
Now, I'm telling this one straight from the official marker — so let the record show what Galveston went through to become what it became. Pull up a chair, because this island's got stories layered like a Gulf Coast storm. It starts with a departure.
After Laffite's expulsion from Galveston, settlers from the West Indies began arriving on that barrier strip of sand and salt wind. And they didn't dawdle. Within just a few years, Galveston had grown into a principal port to the Republic of Texas.
Mexico had already seen the potential — declaring it a port of entry in 1825 and establishing a customs house there. The island was open for business, and business was comin'. Then came a moment that would cement Galveston's name in the history books whether it wanted it or not.
When Sam Houston's forces met and defeated the Mexican army at San Jacinto in 1836, President David G. Burnett and his Cabinet were forced to abandon the interior. And where did the capital of the Republic of Texas land?
Right there on that island. Galveston — a city that hadn't even been incorporated yet — was holding the reins of a new republic. That same year, 1836, Michel B.
Menard purchased what is now the present site of Galveston from the Republic of Texas. The price: fifty thousand dollars. Not a bad piece of real estate, as it turned out.
Galveston County was created in 1838 by an act of the Texas Congress, and the city itself was incorporated in 1839. From there, the next decade was one long upswing. Churches were established.
Banks were founded. The Galveston News began publication. The first Federal court in Texas was established right there on the island.
Galveston was becoming the most important cultural and commercial center in the state — the kind of city that sets the pace for everyone else. By 1858, the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad had completed its trackage between the Island and Houston. Goods, people, ideas — all of it moving faster now.
And then the war came for it. By July of 1861, the Federal blockade had been extended to Texas. Confederate forces evacuated Galveston in October of 1862 — a bitter retreat from a city they'd built themselves into.
But the story didn't end there. In 1863, with General John Bankhead Magruder in command, the Confederate forces came back. They occupied the city, capturing four vessels and some three hundred Federal troops.
And having taken it back, they held it. The Confederate forces remained in Galveston until the very end of the Civil War. From a pirates' abandoned outpost, to a republic's emergency capital, to a commercial crown jewel, to a city fought over by armies — Galveston didn't just witness Texas history.
It absorbed it, right down into the sand beneath its streets.
What the marker says
Following Laffite's expulsion from Galveston, settlers from the West Indies began to arrive. Within a few years, Galveston became a principal port to the Republic of Texas. Galveston was declared a port of entry in 1825 by Mexico and a customs house was established. The city served as Capital of the Republic of Texas when President David G. Burnett and his Cabinet were forced to abandon the interior at the time San Houston's forces met and defeated the Mexican army at San Jacinto in 1836. Michel B. Menard purchased what is now the present site of Galveston from the Republic of Texas in 1836 for $50,000. Galveston County was created in 1838 by an act of the Texas Congress. The city of Galveston was incorporated in 1839. During the next decade, Galveston shared in the rapid growth and development of Texas. Churches were established and banks were founded. The Galveston "News" began publication and the first Federal court in Texas was established. The city was soon to become the most important cultural and commercial center in the state. In 1858, trackage of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad was completed between the Island and Houston. By July, 1861, the Federal blockade was extended to Texas. Confederate forces evacuated Galveston in October, 1862, but in 1863, with General John Bankhead Magruder in command, the Confederate forces occupied the city, capturing four vessels and some 300 Federal troops. The Confederate forces remained here until the end of the Civil War.