Pumpkin Time

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Buying pumpkins and displaying them in and around one’s home in early October is common in the U.S., and Galveston is no exception.

In recent years, shopping for pumpkins at the Moody Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch has become a fun tradition for me - as well as for many others here on the island. Always, the selection is terrific. I find pumpkins of all sizes and in a variety of colors (white, bluish-green and, of course, orange).

And, the profits made from the pumpkin sales fund a number of worthwhile service projects. I like that - a lot!

This weekend, my son, Matt, is visiting from Houston, so he accompanied me on my search for the perfect pumpkins. I told him, upfront, I would really appreciate the company and an extra set of eyes. But, after we made selections, I realized I really needed him (and his muscles) to be here. The largest of the pumpkins we chose was too heavy for me to lift into the wagon provided to get our bounty to the car and, afterwards, to unload them back at The Bungalow.

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As my family knows, I have long been a fan of pumpkins; they remind me that autumn has arrived - despite the still-warm temps outdoors.

Long ago, I started studying up on pumpkins. The more I learned, the more I became a devoted fan of this versatile plant. I love, among other things, that the flowers, seeds and flesh of the pumpkin are all edible and rich in vitamins.

In October, I use pumpkins to make soups, desserts and breads and, yes, even pancakes. Admittedly, I’m not very good at baking pies, so I purchase a lot of pumpkin pies in the fall - before and for Thanksgiving!

I also purchase a lot of pumpkin-scented or pumpkin-flavored things - like candles and coffee!

In my research on pumpkins, I discovered the popular tradition of carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland. Back then, however, jack-o’-lanterns were made out of turnips or potatoes; it wasn’t until Irish immigrants arrived in America and discovered the pumpkin that a new Halloween ritual was born. (Being half-Irish, I love this too!)

Pumpkin Trivia
I’ve always wanted to play Pumpkin Trivia with my family or friends at Thanksgiving. Our gatherings, however, haven’t yet provided the extra relax time to do so. But, I still hope to introduce this game to my grandkids next time we all get together. In the meantime, here’s some fun facts to remember:

• Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family (like cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini). They are native to Central America and Mexico. However, they now grow on six continents.
• Pumpkins have been grown in North America for 5,000 years.
• In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding “gros melons.” The name was translated into English as “pompions,” which has since evolved into the modern “pumpkin.”
• Pumpkins are low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fiber. They are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein and iron.
• Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.

Sea Turtles

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In recent days, I’ve noticed a number of painted turtle statues on display alongside the Galveston streets I frequent most often. Perhaps, they have been there for awhile; I don’t really know. But, today, I am seeing them everywhere I go. So, of course, I had to ask about them. And, I’m happy to report I learned a lot!

First, I found out that Galveston is home to five of seven species of endangered sea turtles.

Secondly, Turtles About Town, is a community art project showcasing the island city and the conservation efforts of the Turtle Island Restoration Network to protect endangered sea turtles on the upper Texas coast, specially the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle.

And, now, thanks to the network’s combined efforts, turtle lovers - of all ages - have the opportunity to see 19 colorful Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle statues all around the island city.

The first sea turtle statue I spotted was located in front of Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream, 2120 Postoffice Street. “Sundae,” as it is called, was created by artist Shay McAnally and sponsored by Mikey’s. It’s adorable, of course!

Nearby, in front of the Galveston Art League, 2117 Postoffice Street, I saw “Sargasso Susan,” a sea turtle statue created by artist Leroy LeFlore. The color of the statue represents the Sargasso Sea and the Flower Gardens Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico.

Walking to the next block, I ran into “Mermaid + Turtle = Mertle,” located at Clay Cup Studios, 2219 Postoffice Street. It is the creation of artist Tracy Van Horn Reed. It was sponsored by Tom’s Galveston Real Estate. Of course, I love anything that gives a friendly nod to the mermaid.

I found out there is another sea turtle statue, called “Alice,” at Kempner Park, so I drove over to 2704 Ave. O to see it. “Alice” was created by artist Derek Anderson.

At the Bryan Museum, I saw “Dorado,” depicting sun reflections and a breath of air. It was created by artist Ray Cosgrove.

Still another statue I saw today is called “Dr. Tommie Tortuga,” located at 712 Texas Ave. at UTMB. “Dr. Tommie Tortuga” was created by artist Sabrina Stachowski. It is a colorful reminder not only of its mission to improve health but also that the Gulf Coast region UTMB Health calls home.

After looking at all these sea turtle statues today, It dawned on me taking “selfies” by any one of them (or all of them) would have been a good idea. Unfortunately, I thought of it after the fact. Oh well, next time!

About Kemp’s Ridley
The Kemp’s Ridley, the Texas State sea turtle, is the smallest and most critically endangered sea turtle species. This turtle nests on the beaches along the Texas and Mexico shoreline and can be found in Gulf of Mexico waters off the Galveston coastline.

Powhatan House

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The 1847 Powhatan House became the property of the Galveston Garden Club, its current owners, in 1965. Over time, the garden club restored the house to its 1893 appearance, including Victorian furnishings and a garden planted in oleanders.

The house, located at 3427 Ave O, is one of the oldest homes on the island and was among the first of a series of successful restorations in Galveston. These restorations became the focus of an active tourist industry, replacing the city’s waning trading activity. The Galveston Garden Club uses the house and grounds for its monthly meetings, for periodic fundraising sales and events and educational programs. It opens the house for use by civic organizations and private events rentals.

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History of the House
The Powhatan House was built as the home of Col. John S. Sydnor, a prominent cotton merchant, early mayor of Galveston and financier. The Powhatan House is an unusually sophisticated example of Greek Revival architecture in Texas. The construction of the Powhatan House and its change in use over many years of occupancy mirrors the history of Galveston’s development and eventual decline as Texas’ leading mercantile and cultural center.

Sydnor named the 24-room house after the Indian tribes in his native Virginia. The original Powhatan House had a six-column portico, a characteristically Galvestonian raised basement or ground floor and five acres of gardens planted with oleanders which were to become a feature of the island's gardens.

The house itself was largely the result of Sydnor’s trading ventures. It was built of lumber, windows, sectional columns, hardware and well-crafted cyma recta mouldings shipped from Maine in the otherwise empty holds of cotton vessels returning from the northern ports. The fabrication of houses for Texans, in the seaports of Maine, was one of the dominant elements of trade balance between Galveston and the North. Two other houses still standing in Galveston, the Menard House and the Williams-Tucker House (see National Register submission “Samuel May Williams House” July 14, 1971) were also built of parts fabricated in Maine.

In 1866, Sydney sold the house to a Mr. Bolton, who attempted to operate schools and a military academy in the house’s spacious rooms. All of his efforts proved unsuccessful, however, and he converted the Powhatan to use as his private home.

In 1881 the house was purchased by the City of Galveston to use as the island’s first orphanage. In 1893, a new orphanage was built ,and the Powhatan House became the property of Carolyn Willis Ladd, who had the house moved from its original location between 21st and 22nd Streets and M and N Avenues, to its present location.

Under the supervision of the architect W.H. Tyndall, the house was divided into three sections and remodeled into three separate houses on contiguous lots. Each house was elevated on a 10-foot-high brick basement containing a kitchen and servants’ quarters.. The central portion continued to be known as the Powhatan House or the “Main House.” Tyndall extensively modified the interiors, replacing original mantels with Victorian pressed-brick facings, new staircases and a variety of diamond pane and two over two light windows.

In 1903 Charles Vedder, a prominent Galveston cotton merchant, purchased the main house, which had been only slightly damaged by the disastrous flood and hurricane of 1900. The Vedder family occupied the house at the time of the 1907 grade-raising. The Vedders lost their basement kitchen and breakfast room to the inundation of sand pumped from Galveston Bay. The Vedders added a wing to the east of the house to replace the buried rooms.

Vedder was appointed by Theodore Roosevelt as United States Cotton Commissioner and was a member of the Galveston Cotton Exchange, which, together with the Wharf Commission, virtually controlled all of Galveston’s trading activity. Vedder’s wife, Florence, was the granddaughter of General George Heath Flood, who had been U.S. Minister to the Republic of Texas in 1839.

In 1927, the British government leased the house for use as its consulate. In 1935 the Vedders sold the house to J.W. Oschman, who occupied it until 1960 when the Forrest Dyer family purchased it.

Five years later, the Powhatan House became the property of the Galveston Garden Club.


The Dolphins

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In 1975, The Dolphins, created by Galveston sculptor David W. Moore, was installed downtown in the center of the pedestrian corridor on Postoffice Street - that once ran between 21st and 24th Streets. Standing six feet tall, the solid bronze sculpture, is a favorite of locals and visitors alike.

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The Dolphins was created in conjunction with the Al Shakis Art Foundry in Houston. The Dolphins were donated to the city and citizens of Galveston by the collective efforts of a private donor and Galveston Foundation, Inc.

When the Postoffice Street corridor was re-opened to vehicular traffic, the Galveston Commission for the Arts made the necessary efforts to relocate the statue to its current location at Fort Crockett Seawall Park, located on Seawall Boulevard at 45th Street.

About the Sculptor
Born Feb. 16, 1921, David Moore grew up in a large home in Galveston, located at 31st and Avenue O, where the Galveston Artillery Club now stands.

Moore worked for the Moore Lumber Company, a family firm and the second-oldest lumber company in Texas, and for Moore-Climatic, Inc. He was a trustee of the Rosenberg Library and helped form the Galveston Cultural Arts Council. Moore died in 2001, at the age of 80.

Other sculptures created by Moore can be found in Galveston. They include The Heron, on display at Galveston's Ashton Villa; Young Girl with Turtle, at the Rosenberg Library, and Boy with Seagulls, displayed at the Texas Seaport Museumt. The 1900 Storm Memorial, which Moore was planning long before he was commissioned to do such a work, was unveiled in September 2000.

Lucas Apartments

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In 1887, Thomas Lucas, a bricklayer from Nottingham, England, designed and constructed a row of six attached houses on the corner of Broadway Boulevard and 6th street. Sadly, these houses - known as Lucas Row - were destroyed in the Great Storm of 1900. The destruction of such a substantial structure was so significant, the City of Galveston held a remembrance ceremony on the one-year anniversary of the storm at the site of Lucas Row.

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After the storm, Lucas picked up the bricks from the rubble and moved them to Broadway and 14th street, where his own modest wood-frame home had miraculously survived.

Between 1901 and 1906, Lucas built the East Building of what is now known as the Lucas Apartments, recognized as the first brick apartment building in Texas.

When the East Building was finished, Lucas moved his frame house to another lot on Broadway (since torn down) and began construction on the West Building. Between 1907 and 1908, he rapidly completed the West Building and connected the two structures with an open breezeway.  

Lucas worked without plans and, if you look closely, you can see he was not consistent in his work. Many of the windows have different treatments in the surrounding brick trim. The dimensions and elevations of the buildings are also slightly different.

The Galveston Historical Foundation views the Lucas Apartments as one of the most visible and important properties in the Victorian-era East End Historic District as it is the only structure that suggests the Art Nouveau style. This is clearly evident in the facade of the building which is decorated with large shell and coral patterned cast concrete. The structure was also constructed with load-bearing brick with large beams running the length of the building. This was a construction technique usually reserved for larger commercial buildings.

The Lucas Apartments, built by a pioneer artisan of Galveston, is a remarkable example of individual enterprise. Today, it is privately owned and operated as Casa Familia, a luxury rental option for families and groups.

It still stands at an important location on Broadway Boulevard - across from Bishop’s Palace and the Sacred Heart Church.