May 15, 2022 Not knowing anyone ...I volunteered to be a docent for this year's historical homes tour; fun fun I got the home on the cover of the brochure. I met the owners from TN who will open this home this fall as a B & B read more

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I have really enjoyed what the Galveston Historical Foundation has offered recently. I sailed on the Elissa in April. And yesterday I celebrated Mothers Day in grand style with it. I attended the brunch which was held at the Garten Verein. It was decorated nicely. The grounds and building were well kept and lovely. The food was pretty good. The beverages bottomless. Missed a dessert. Loved the sweet little corsage and the Mother's Day gift of a petite candle. It really was a nice event and we met some nice people at our table who we got to see later when standing in line for the homes tour. On that note- took in the homes tour. I hadn't done this for 20 years or so and homes are much different with all the new moneyflitting about. Outside homes are historic but once inside they have been transformed. Nothing inside is old Galveston or even the US. Great place to see what today's decorators have done. They are beautiful but for nostalgia- I think I'm just going to enjoy the homes from the outside. Interesting sign of the times and the nouveau riche. read more

We took the bay tour and dolphin watch. It was fun and we got to see several dolphins and a sunken ship. The tour guides were funny and the gift shop had cute things. read more

Galveston Historical Foundation - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Galveston, Texas

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I've been reading Ray Miller's nonfiction book "Galveston" to reacquaint myself with the island. GHF does some good but I know of two instances where they disenfranchised corporations coming to Galveston, because of their arbitrary standards of small town aesthetics. One came after a lengthy battle, and the other one just gave up. Now, how many companies were run off because they wanted to tear down some functionally obsolete building and rebuild bigger and better? Gentrification of sketchy neighborhoods is one thing, but when you run off corporations that's counterproductive; Galveston should be welcoming companies, even to the point of tax abatement. Despite this, Galveston has made some prescient decisions. I remember a decade and change ago, I was on the committee of an economic development council that was brokering the sale of the old Galvez Mall (an enclosed jobbie that had two anchor stores at each end and shops in between), Aetna insurance eventually bought it, and didn't renovate it and basically used it as a tax write off. Fair enough, but the end sum game was that it was eventually torn down and the Target, Home Depot and other corporations are on that land today. This may have been dumb luck, but in the end it was better for Galveston, because the cost of operating an enclosed air conditioned mall is usually passed of to the tenants. So like Tanger, and others around the country, strip malls are the way to go. Speaking of the way to go, lets open the can of worms considering casino gambling. Of course, just to get this passed by the state legislature, let alone Galveston residents is an uphill battle. However, I would be hard pressed to give this subject a voice on any other Yelp category. Reading Ray Miller's "Galveston", you realize some of the better economic times for Galveston were from the 1920's to the 60's. This is when gambling was present but not regulated by corporations, the Federal govt, or legal in the state of Texas. Galveston thrived, and Galvestonians were treated to top notch entertainment(for its time... Bob Hope, Alice Fay, even Ol Blue Eyes was here for a while, etc...). The people that ran gambling didn't want Galvestonians in their casinos, rather rich oilmen (whales) from Houston and Dallas. However, you were welcome to free concerts, and often comped at the whim of the restaurant managers. Fast forward to today, and the possibilities are limitless. Urban blight throughout the city could be reduced by the construction of new restaurants. The old industrial sites (the brewery and Lipton Tea's buildings), rehabilitated into casinos/hotels to cater to people boarding and returning from cruise ships. Vacant land (still some) along the seawall bought by international gaming venues, and having high rise hotel/casinos that dazzle the tourists. Major sporting events, being hosted by hotels/casinos such as championship bull riding, tennis tournaments, championship boxing, or even undercards with ham and eggers. So, why tie this in with the historical fdn? I do this because collectively some of the same people that repudiate gambling are usually connected in some way to the foundation. Me thinks thou dost protest to much. Could it be that with major money and major celebrities coming with gambling, that their clout will diminish? "Sorry Mr. small time bigshot, I know you have a regular table at the Pelican Club, but Jamie Fox is staying longer than expected, and well, we cant just ask him to leave." LOL. Don't know, but this pious nonsense by the church crowd too is rich. Yeah, ok gambling destroys families, so do slave wages which local businesses are only happy to pay. Headliners in Vegas and Atlantic City usually have a second home there anyway, so I cant see it do anything but help real estate-but with a bonus, lower taxes. If this is never going to be an option, than I'd at least advise GHF to start thinking outside the box and look at honoring some of the entertainers that were born in Galveston; entertainers such as Katherine Helmond, Ron Taylor, singer Barry White, athletes Casey Hampton, Dez Bryant, and WR Mike Evans who has been portrayed already in a less than favorable depiction of Galveston on ESPN's 30 for 30. Wouldn't hurt to try to get the nation's first nuclear merchant marine vessel, The Savannah, originally based in Galveston here either. Galveston could be so much more and I don't want to see people get a smaller slice of the pie, I just want to see the pie get bigger. Remember, it was only a decade ago after Ike, the editor of the Galveston Daily News endorsed gambling as an option. Were not the Roland Park Ladies tea society, we're Texans and Galvestonians-we'll find a way to make it work. read more

The GHF is one of the island's prime organizations to keep the area's history at the forefront of locals' and visitors' minds. They not only work on preservation but offer events throughout the year for all types of participants. For example, they will offer lectures related to various realms of Galveston history, sell tickets for special tours of local places such as the Bishop's Palace basement to attic tour, and host the annual Historic Homes Tour in late April/early May. They also are a resource for historic home owners in the area regarding restoration restrictions and supplying era-specific info and fixtures. Finally, they have a store on The Strand called Eighteen Seventy-One that sells Galveston-specific items and all proceeds go toward the GHF. The only issue I've ever encountered is the cost to use their records for research, which was quite expensive. They are housed in the old Sears building on Broadway and 23rd where most people pass by without realizing what is on the corner. All in all they support the historic community daily, which makes for an excellent resource when visiting the island. read more