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During the mid-19th century, Galveston emerged as an international city with immigration and trade from around the U.S. and the world. The city became one of the nation's busiest ports and the world's leading port for cotton exports.
- Pirates
- Immigration
- Wall Street of The South
- The Birthplace of Juneteenth
Later visitors included corsairs, like the French Jean Lafitte, who built the small colony of Campeche in 1817. Ever the privateer, he used this as a base to raid Spanish merchant ships that passed through the Gulf. He fled after a decade, burning down the community he built (his treasures are rumored to be buried on the Island).
Founded in 1838, Galveston established prosperity through a natural deep-water port, expansion of trade routes throughout the region, and development of industry, such as cotton, in the decades leading up to the Great Storm of 1900. The people of Galveston Island would find themselves as a fundamental piece of the state and region's growth and dive...
In 1836, Canadian fur trader Michel B. Menard purchased seven square miles of land, which became the City of Galveston. It was the same year Texas gained independence from Mexico and became a republic. Other great changes followed, business flourished, and Galveston became a major U.S. commercial center and one of the largest ports in the United St...
Juneteenth is a national holiday that signifies the celebration of the end of slavery for southern slaves in Galveston two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. This historic event holds a special place in the United States and African American history, but the richness of Juneteenth or June 19, 1865 goes well beyond celebrating Ema...
19th Century Developments. Galveston played a pivotal role in Texas’ fight for independence from Mexico. In 1836, the Texas Navy used Galveston as a strategic base, securing supply lines and launching attacks against Mexican forces.
Galveston, the principal port and immigration gateway to the American Southwest during the 19th century, has placed the entire Island in a unique position regarding the history of Texas and the Southwest.
The City of Galveston was chartered in 1839. The role of Galveston as the principal port and gateway to the Southwest during the 19th Century has placed the entire city in a unique position in relation to the history of Texas.
The Galveston and Texas History Center’s archives include manuscripts, photographs, books, maps, architectural drawings, and more focusing on Galveston from its 1839 incorporation to the present and early Texas from the Spanish colonial period through the Civil War.
Galveston was a central point of entry for European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The city's immigrant population played a major role in shaping its culture, economy, and political landscape.
