St. Mary Cathedral

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St. Mary Cathedral Basilica is the primary cathedral of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the mother church of the Catholic Club in Texas. Along with the Co-Cathedral of the sacred Heart in Houston, St. Mary serves more than 1.5 million Catholics living in the Archdiocese.

The Cathedral Basilica is notable as being one of the few buildings in Galveston that survived the devastating Great Storm of 1900 with only minimal damage. However, it did sustain significant water damage during Hurricane Ike in 2008 and was closed for repairs until Easter 2014.

St. Mary Cathedral was named a Texas state historic landmark in 1968 and a national historic landmark in 1973. In 1979, in recognition of the Cathedral's importance to the community and the State of Texas, as well as the historical impact it had on Catholicism in the state of Texas, Pope John Paul II elevated St. Mary Cathedral to the status of a minor basilica.

Construction of the Cathedral
Father John Odin embarked from New Orleans on a schooner bound for the Texas coast, arriving in Galveston early in 1841. There, he found a community of Catholics eager to build a church for their small congregation.

In the months that followed, Father Odin procured enough money to begin construction of a wooden-frame church. He was assisted in this venture by Colonel Michael B. Menard and Dr. Nicholas Labadie, two prominent Galvestonians. (Colonel Menard is to be remembered as one of the founders of the City of Galveston.)

On February 6, 1842, Father Odin dedicated the completed structure to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The small, rectangular building measured 22 feet. Father Odin, now the Apostolic Vicar of Texas, purchased a five-room cottage as the episcopal residence. He made an addition to the church structure of a small sacristy and bought 30 benches for the convenience of his parishioners.

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In 1845, Father Odin purchased 500,000 bricks from Belgium,  which were shipped to Galveston. He would use the bricks in the construction of his dream: a larger, permanent church. The little frame church was moved out into the street, and work on the new St. Mary began in 1847. The ceremony of laying the cornerstone took place on Sunday, March 14, 1947. On November 26, 1848, the Cathedral was ready for dedication.

No More Shed

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Day One of deconstruction of the shed

When I purchased The Bungalow, I loved everything about it - except the storage shed that was - at some point in its history - added to the back of the house.

The shed was in bad shape. It leaked when it rained; it had rotted wood on the floor and walls, and it only had enough space in it to hold a water heater, a mop and a broom and a few beach toys.

To get into the backyard, one had to walk through the shed and take several concrete steps down to the lawn. The steps, by the way, had no safety railing. I worried all the time about a less-than-careful guest falling down the steps and suffering serious injury.

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So, from the get-go, my plan was to have the shed taken down and a good-size wood deck put in. Happy to report, my dream project became a reality this week.

De-construction of the shed and construction of the deck took two hard-working people about five very long days.

Once the work was (almost) completed, it took me only five minutes to move a couple of Adirondeck chairs and a side table off the lawn and position them up there. And, only another five minutes to start planning a gathering of friends to show off the deck!

Here, the deck is almost finished. Just needs the latticework added to its bottom to hide those ugly, unmovable concrete steps!

Here, the deck is almost finished. Just needs the latticework added to its bottom to hide those ugly, unmovable concrete steps!

Rosenberg Library

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The Rosenberg Library, established in 1900 and built a few years later, is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas. That fact, plus the high level of service and resources the library provides, is a source of great pride for the citizens of Galveston, so much so that most locals are library-card carrying fans and frequent visitors. Me included!

Admittedly, I didn’t make it over to the library as soon as I had hoped, but when I did go, I was duly impressed and eager to look around (on all floors) and get a library card of my own. At the same time, I asked about book clubs, special events, etc. Again, I was impressed. The offerings here are amazing!

This statue of Henry Rosenberg is positioned at the entrance of the Rosenberg Library. It is a fitting tribute to the generosity and legacy of this Galveston businessman and philanthropist.

This statue of Henry Rosenberg is positioned at the entrance of the Rosenberg Library. It is a fitting tribute to the generosity and legacy of this Galveston businessman and philanthropist.

The folks working at the front desk were great. All were friendly and very knowledgeable. They seemed to enjoy answering my many questions. So, I couldn’t help myself. I asked a lot of them - especially about the history of the library and its namesake.

I learned a lot!

For example, the funding for the Rosenberg Library Association was provided via a bequest from Galveston businessman and philanthropist Henry Rosenberg. The association was organized on July 10, 1900, as a private corporation to give free library service to all the residents of Galveston. The building itself was dedicated on June 22, 1904, the birthday of its patron.

When the Moody Memorial Wing opened in 1971, it more than doubled the floor space and allowed for a children's library, a history center, several galleries to showcase museum collections and, later, a computer lab.

The Rosenberg Library is located at 2310 Sealy Avenue. For current information about its hours of operation and upcoming special events, please visit www.rosenberg-library.org/.



Stepping It Up

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When I purchased The Bungalow, the front steps were in serious need of improvement. It took me a year to decide exactly what could be done to make them look better. Finally, I opted to have all of the steps painted white and then have wooden planks …

When I purchased The Bungalow, the front steps were in serious need of improvement. It took me a year to decide exactly what could be done to make them look better. Finally, I opted to have all of the steps painted white and then have wooden planks installed on the top of them. Eventually, the wood will weather and match the original weathered floorboards on the porch. I’m looking forward to seeing that.

Step One: Paint the Steps Xavier, a professional painter and a neighbor of mine, agreed to help me with the steps. We both thought painting the steps bright white, like the railings on the front porch, would be a good idea.

Step One: Paint the Steps
Xavier, a professional painter and a neighbor of mine, agreed to help me with the steps. We both thought painting the steps bright white, like the railings on the front porch, would be a good idea.

When Xavier finished painting the steps, we both agreed; having all the steps painted the same color was an improvement. But, we also agreed the bright white was a little overpowering.

When Xavier finished painting the steps, we both agreed; having all the steps painted the same color was an improvement. But, we also agreed the bright white was a little overpowering.

Step Two: Installing Wood As soon as the crew showed up and started putting the wooden planks on top of the concrete steps, I knew this was a home improvement I would love and long appreciate.

Step Two: Installing Wood
As soon as the crew showed up and started putting the wooden planks on top of the concrete steps, I knew this was a home improvement I would love and long appreciate.

All Done The installation of the wood planks on the steps only took a couple of hours, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Small project, huge improvement.

All Done
The installation of the wood planks on the steps only took a couple of hours, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Small project, huge improvement.

A Happy Hour

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It’s been a little over a year since I bought The Bungalow and, nearly as long, since I joined The Bryan. But, this afternoon was my first time to join the fun of a happy hour on the grounds of the museum.

My plan was to meet my friend, Marlee, here and check out Galveston’s Own Farmer’s Market, which only recently moved to this location on Thursday nights, and request a complimentary glass of wine (for museum members), sit and relax, listen to the music of the band and, perhaps, make a few new friends.

All worked out as planned, and we had a truly lovely time!

The weather was perfect - not too warm or humid. There was a slight breeze in the air. It could not have been more idyllic.

The well-heeled crowd was perfect too. All were museum fans and supporters - and very friendly! We talked to several people we didn’t previously know and learned a lot about their island experiences.

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I was surprised to run into a Facebook friend from Houston. Jeff, like me, is a part-time resident of Galveston. It was only recently that he acquired his raised bungalow on the East End. It was fun to chat with him about our mutual efforts to improve and decorate our properties. Like me, he plans to share his bungalow with vacation renters during the summer months.

While I was there, I walked into the museum’s gift shop, positioned in a cute little building of its own, right near the outdoor courtyard. A visit here is always a treat for the eyes. The buyer for the shop does a great job and, always, I see things I want to pick up and take home. Tonight was no exception. I ended up purchasing a colorful runner for the dining room table in The Bungalow, as well as a book on the history of Galveston.

At the same time, I left plenty of other unique and interesting hings in the gift shop to consider for another time!