The Turquoise Table

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Shortly before I purchased The Bungalow, I heard about the book, The Turquoise Table, by Kristin Schell. It’s about how Kristin, on a mission “to love her neighbors,” managed to create a stronger sense of community with her friends, family and, yes, even strangers.

She started by taking an ordinary picnic table, painting it turquoise and setting it outside in her front yard. Then, she would go outside in the mornings, with coffee mug in hand, and invite others to join her there. As she has said, “to hang out and do life together.”

Kristin’s intentions inspired me to buy the book. And, once I had the hardback in my hand, I didn’t put it down until I had finished reading each and every word.

I loved The Turquoise Table, and I shared Kristin’s desire to bond with those around her in new and more meaningful ways. In its own way, the book explains why I so wanted to spend part of my life in Galveston, in a neighborhood built in the 1920s, when big front porches with swings encouraged neighbors to stop by and sit a spell.

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Today, a turquoise table sits in the back yard of The Bungalow. It was the first thing I bought for the house! I found it at Tuesday Morning, and it had already been painted turquoise. I bought it on the spot and paid someone to deliver to my home in Houston. Then, it sat in my garage for nearly three months. Later, i paid someone else to deliver it to The Bungalow - right after the new cedar fence was installed. Unlike Kristin, it never dawned on me (until later) that I too could have bought an ordinary picnic table right here in Galveston and painted it myself …and saved myself a lot of hassle and delivery fees!

Oh well…Like Kristin, I’ve loved sharing my turquoise table with others. When friends or vacation renters stay at The Bungalow, they always comment on the turquoise table - and on the copy of The Turquoise Table I leave out in plain view for all to see. Many have taken photos of themselves sitting at my table and forwarded them on to me. I can’t tell you how much I really love that!

Bishop's Palace

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Bishop's Palace, also known as Gresham's Castle, is an ornate 19,082-square foot Victorian, located on Broadway Boulevard and 14th Street in the East End Historic District of Galveston.

The house was built between 1887 and 1893 by Galveston architect Nichols J. Clayton for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham, his wife Josephine, and their nine children.

The house was constructed in stone and made it sturdy enough to withstand the Great Storm of 1900. During the hurricane, the Greshams welcomed hundreds of survivors into their home.

Bishop's Palace has four floors. The raised basement which once housed the kitchen and servant's areas now contains a gift shop.

The home is estimated to have cost $250,000 at the time. It is estimated value today sits at over $5.5 million.

In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house and, situated across the street from the Sacred Heart Church, it served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne. After the diocesan offices were moved to Houston, the diocese opened the mansion to the public.

In 1963, with proceeds from tours used to help fund the Newman Center, operating in the basement, serving Catholic students at the nearby University of Texas Medical Branch.

Today, the house is owned by the Galveston Historical Foundation and self-guided tours are available daily. A portion of each admission supports the preservation and restoration of the property.

Bishop’s Palace is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a must-see for visitors to the island.

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.”