Garten-Verein

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Recently, I attended the annual meeting of the Galveston Historical Foundation. To my delight, it was held at incredibly beautiful Garten-Verein. Thus, for the first time, I was able to go inside this unique and historic public space - one I’ve been curious about for decades - and enjoy joining a group I’ve admired and appreciated for just as long.

Before that evening, I had already done a bit of research on Garten-Verein and, as expected, I discovered it has an interesting history.

In February 1876, a group of German businessmen organized the Galveston Garten-Verein (garden club) as a social club for family and friends. Only Germans or German speakers could hold stock in the club, but others could petition for membership. The group purchased the five-acre homestead of Robert Mills, a prominent Galveston businessman, and laid out the property as a park, with a clubhouse (Mills’ former home), lawns, gardens and walkways, bowling alleys, tennis courts, croquet grounds, playgrounds and a dancing pavilion.

After World War I, when overt Germanness had fallen out of fashion in America, a steady decline in membership in the Garten-Verein led the remaining members to sell the property to Stanley Kempner in 1923.. He donated it to the city as Kempner Park, dedicated to his parents, Eliza Seinsheimer and Harris Kempner.

The Garten-Verein’s tiered dancing pavilion, built in 1880, is the only one of the structures to survive the Great Storm of 1900 (though it required extensive rebuilding).

The Garten-Verein pavilion was restored in 1981 after a fire and in 1998, the entire Kempner Park and pavilion were refurbished to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund.

Garten-Verein is managed by the Galveston Historical Foundation and is available as a rental for weddings and other special events.

Yard Work

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When I bought The Bungalow, the backyard was a mess.

The yard was full of towering “volunteer” trees, so the lawn below got very little light. Bare spots in the lawn were everywhere, and muddy areas were common after a rain shower. Clearing out all those unwanted, problem trees was, quite obviously, step one.

Next, there was a chain-link fence - a very old one. It was rusted out and falling down. The gate to the alley was missing. And, on top of that, some of those “volunteers” had sprouted up along the fence line, and their large branches had twisted and/or knocked down parts of the fencing. It was bad!

Friends who saw the backyard before I bought The Bungalow were not impressed; all thought the tasks ahead were too much to take on. They just couldn’t see, as I did, what the backyard could be!

As it turned out, I was able to obtain recommendations for the help I needed right away, and all phases of the backyard project were addressed and completed quickly.

On Day One, 13 giant “volunteers” were removed, and the remaining trees (six very tall palm trees and the one camphor tree) were professionally trimmed.

On Day Two, Southwestern Fence Company crew showed up to remove and haul away that tacky old chain-link fence.

On Day Three, the posts were set for a beautiful 6.5” cedar fence.

On Day Four and Five, the fence went up all around the yard, and two gates were installed.

On Day Six, automatic, dusk to dawn lights were installed.

At the end of Day Six, I sat outside with friends, wine glasses in hand, toasting my newly improved backyard. Before nightfall, I was making plans to go shopping for outdoor furniture first thing the next day.

A week later, Tom’s Thumb Nursery’s landscaping team showed up to create three large flowerbeds around the palm trees - and to present the professional landscaping plan I requested.

At some point, tropical flowers and other plants will make themselves at home in my backyard. But, for now, I think it’s pretty - just the way it is right now - just as I envisioned it all along!

The Strand

The Strand Historic District, a five-block area in downtown Galveston, features Victorian-ear buildings that now house a number of restaurants and bars, antique, gift and curio shops, and boutiques. The area is a major shopping and entertainment center (and tourist attraction) for the island city and plays hosts to two major festivals each year - Mardi Gras and Dickens on The Strand - and many other popular outdoor community events.

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The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its unparalleled collection of commercial Victorian architecture in Texas, and for its role as the state's major port in the 19th century.

The Strand's earliest buildings were made of wood and vulnerable to fires and storms that hit the island frequently throughout the 19th century. Eventually, those structures were replaced with iron-fronted brick buildings. The two oldest buildings still standing on The Strand date to 1855 and 1858; other historic buildings date back typically to the 1870s and 1880s.

Throughout the 19th century, the port city of Galveston boomed; and The Strand grew into the region's main business center. For a time, it was known as the "Wall Street of the South."

How The Strand Got Its Name
The original plat of Galveston,drawn in the late 1830s, includes Avenue B. The first use of the name “Strand” for Ave. B is credited to Michael William Shaw, a German immigrant, who owned a jewelry store on the corner of 23rd and Ave B. Shaw did not like the "Ave. B", so he changed the name of the street on his stationery to "Strand", the name of a street in London. He thought it had higher-class connotations for his jewelry store. He later convinced other store owners on the street to change their addresses, as well. And, the name stuck.

The word, strand, comes from the Old English word for “shore” or “river bank.” In German, Swedish and Dutch, the word means “beach.” 

Stewart Beach

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Stewart Beach is Galveston’s premier family beach park. It is located where historic Broadway Avenue meets The Seawall.

Stewart Beach, like most places in Galveston, has a rich history that is wroth noting.

In the late 1930s, Galveston’s Mayor Brantley Harris was traveling along the Atlantic coast and saw large public beaches (like Jones Beach in New York). He became convinced that a similar destination could be created in Galveston. He envisioned the city attracting tourists and becoming the “Rivera of the Gulf.”

When he returned home, Mayor Harris persuaded the Galveston City Council to donate its portion of East Beach to the city. The city commission called an election for the authorization of the issuance of $175,000 in revenue bonds, and Robert Cummins, a Houston engineer and architect drew the plans. Donald Boyce, who had been the assistant manager of Jones Beach, was brought in to supervise the construction and to manage the park. The labor used to build Stewart Beach Park came from the President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Stewart Beach was named for Maco Stewart, Sr., a Galveston resident and founder in 1893 of Stewart Title Company and whose family became one of the largest independent oil operators in Texas. His son, Maco Stewart, Jr., along with other community leaders (George Sealy and M.L. Moody III) were significant supporters of the Stewart Beach project.

Stewart Beach officially opened on July 18, 1941. It was dedicated by Mayor Harris,, and it was christened by his daughter, Margaret, who broke a bottle of water over the prow of the SS Stewart Beach. The attraction was built with a boardwalk, a building with a concession stand and restrooms and with cement slabs on either end of the boardwalk - one for dancing and one for roller skating. Additionally, there was a beach service office for renting umbrellas and chairs to the bathers.whose family became one of the largest

Today, Stewart Beach still offers plenty of amenities for visitors to enjoy a day at the beach, as well as regular supervision by highly trained lifeguards. Inside the park, there is a pavilion, restrooms and showers, and chair and umbrella rentals. Beach volleyball courts and a children’s playground are also there to enjoy.

Important to know, alcohol and glass containers are not permitted on Stewart Beach. Pets are welcome, but they must be kept on a leash.

For more information about Stewart Beach, visit www.galveston.com/.

The Original

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My son, Matt, was in Galveston recently to help me with a few minor projects around The Bungalow and to join me in seeking out places not yet seen, including restaurants.

I had long heard about the Original Mexican Cafe and, after telling Matt a bit about it, he too was eager to go there for lunch and check it out.

The Original was founded in 1916 by Raymond Guzman in his two-story home in the East End. Quickly, Guzman earned an enviable reputation for serving up the best beef and chicken enchiladas. Today’s owner, John Bannon, Jr. still serves up great enchiladas, but he also offers up tasty grilled pork tacos, fajitas and spinach quesadillas.

The Original has the distinction of being the longest continually operating restaurant on Galveston Island. It is situated on its original site at 1401 Market Street.

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Matt and I arrived at the restaurant in the middle of the lunch hour. Though there was a nice size crowd there, we waited only a few minutes to be taken to a table in the first-floor dining room. And, minutes later, the waiter was at our side, ready to take our orders.

We started by ordering two of The Original’s prize-winning margaritas. My was frozen; Matt’s was on the rocks. Both were probably larger than we needed, but both were very good!

The menu at The Original is extensive (lots of unique and interesting combos), but we both opted to try The Original’s classic cheese enchiladas with rice, beans, etc. Again, we both enjoyed our meals and commented that we’d definitely come back!