Place · United States
The history of Galveston
Assembled from 2 dug tiles · 29 sourced records · 1785–now · last reviewed 2 October 2026
Galveston gathers its record here house by house, from the steel-framed Moody Home to the turreted Beissner House on 27th Street. Both stood on ground struck directly by the 1900 hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in American history, and both survived it.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Galveston — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Galveston
The storm that killed thousands overnightThe deadliest natural disaster in American history broke over this exact stretch of the Gulf Coast. The Moody Home
1816–now A lumberman's turret arrived a century late
Built in 1891 by a Galveston lumberman, this house got its turret in 1996, thirty paces from where you are standing. 27th Street
1785–1900
Galveston in layers
Close by on Rosenberg Avenue, the Model Laundry & Dye Works building survives from Galveston's commercial boom and is now federally listed. Wikipedia
1785
Wikidata records Galveston as a settlement and county seat dating back to 1785, making it the oldest dated layer found near this spot. Wikidata
1816–1845
Familysearch records this spot as part of the Province of Texas, Mexico from 1816 until 1836, then the Republic of Texas until annexation created the city of Galveston, Texas in 1845. FamilySearch
1816 onward
Familysearch records this plot as part of Galveston, first under Mexico's Province of Texas from 1816, then the Republic of Texas from 1838, then the United States from 1845. FamilySearch
1840 onward
Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church grew from the enslaved membership of First Baptist Church, organized in 1840, and was formally deeded to the congregation after the Civil War. Texas Historical Commission
1840 onward
One of the oldest Black congregations in Texas grew from the slave membership of First Baptist Church, organized in 1840, and later became an independent congregation after the Civil War. Texas Historical Commission
1848 onward
The African American Methodist community that became Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church dates to 1848, split off through a series of church divisions, survived an 1879 fire and the 1900 hurricane, and organized Texas's first anti-lynching society in 1914. Texas Historical Commission
1848 onward
Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church, two streets south, grew from an African American Methodist community founded in 1848 and organized the first anti-lynching society in Texas in 1914. Texas Historical Commission
founded 1850
Seven charter families founded this Evangelical Lutheran congregation in 1850, and the church rallied its members through hurricanes, yellow fever epidemics, and war. Texas Historical Commission
1850
One of the earliest Evangelical Lutheran congregations in Texas, founded here in 1850 by the Rev. G. Guebner with seven charter families. Texas Historical Commission
1850
American lawyer and politician John Thomson Mason died in Galveston in 1850, one of the oldest recorded deaths tied to this town. Wikidata
1859, wartime use during the Civil War
Built in 1859 in Mediterranean style, Ashton Villa was used as headquarters by both Confederate and Federal forces during the Civil War. Texas Historical Commission
1863
The Battle of Galveston in 1863 sent Confederate and Union dead into the city's cemeteries, especially the Episcopal Cemetery, where soldiers from both sides lie. Ghost City Tours
1867
William and Josephine Quigg built this clapboard cottage in 1867; French immigrant Victor Baulard bought and expanded it in 1875, and it stayed in his family until 1962. Texas Historical Commission
1867–1876
Confederate general Braxton Bragg, Republic of Texas politician David G. Burnet, and Union general Charles Griffin all died in Galveston in the decades after the Civil War. Wikidata
1867
William and Josephine Quigg built this wooden Greek Revival cottage in 1867, two years before French immigrant Victor Baulard bought and enlarged it. Texas Historical Commission
1870
David G. Burnet, who served as the Republic of Texas's first interim president, died in Galveston in 1870. Wikidata
established April 19, 1871
Established in 1871 as one of the first weather offices in the country, the Galveston station correctly warned of the 1900 hurricane before its own building was demolished in the storm. Texas Historical Commission
1871; demolished 1900
A few blocks away, the Galveston Weather Service office, established in 1871, correctly warned of the hurricane that killed more than 6,000 people, then lost its own building in the storm. Texas Historical Commission
1876
Braxton Bragg, a Confederate Army general, died in Galveston in 1876. Wikidata
1894
Elize Roemer Alberti served poisoned wine to her children in 1894, killing four of them, before being institutionalized and later taking her own life; she is buried with her children in the Old City Cemetery. Kathleen Maca / Ghost City Tours
built about 1894
W. L. Moody Jr. built this Late Victorian home around 1894, reportedly the first Texas residence built on a steel frame, and lived there as a financier and founder of the Moody Foundation. Texas Historical Commission
circa 1894
A short walk away, W. L. Moody, Jr. built this Late Victorian mansion around 1894, said to be the first house in Texas built on a steel frame. Texas Historical Commission
September 8, 1900
On September 8, 1900, a hurricane with a 15-foot storm surge drowned somewhere between 6,000 and 12,000 people in Galveston, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas
Questions about Galveston
What is Galveston known for historically?
Galveston is known for the 1900 hurricane, which struck the island on September 8, 1900, and killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in American history. Bodies were burned on funeral pyres across the city in the storm's aftermath.
What happened at Galveston in 1900?
On September 8, 1900, a hurricane brought a 15-foot storm surge and 120 mph winds directly onto the island, erasing much of the surrounding city overnight. The Moody Home, a steel-framed mansion built around 1894, and the Henry Beissner House, built in 1891, both survived the storm.
What buildings in Galveston survived the 1900 storm?
The Moody Home, built around 1894 for financier W. L. Moody Jr., survived the storm surge that struck it directly. The Henry Beissner House on 27th Street, built in 1891 by lumberman Henry Beissner, also survived the hurricane, though it did not gain its distinctive turret until 1996.
Who built the Henry Beissner House?
The Henry Beissner House was built in 1891 by Galveston lumberman Henry Beissner, standing 160 meters from the corner of 27th and Avenue G. Its turret was added only in 1996, a century after the house itself was built.
Who was the Moody Home built for?
The Moody Home was built around 1894 for financier W. L. Moody Jr. It is a steel-framed house that stood near the direct path of the 1900 hurricane's storm surge.