Historic Plaque, The Original Galveston Seawall

Description

Photograph of a historic plaque in Galveston, Texas. It reads: "The Original Galveston Seawall. On Sept. 8, 1900 a devastating hurricane and tidal wave destroyed much of Galveston and left 6,000 persons dead. After the tragedy, the city appointed a board of three engineers, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Henry M. Robert (1837-1923), author of "Robert's Rules of Order", Alfred Noble, and H. C. Ripley, to devise protection from future storms. Work on their proposal, to be financed jointly by city, county, and state governments, was started in 1902. To prevent flood damage, buildings were jacked up and the surface of the … continued below

Physical Description

1 photograph : digital, col.

Creation Information

Belden, Dreanna L. October 29, 2005.

Context

This photograph is part of the collection entitled: Photographing Texas and was provided by the UNT Libraries to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 9365 times, with 118 in the last month. More information about this photograph can be viewed below.

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Description

Photograph of a historic plaque in Galveston, Texas. It reads: "The Original Galveston Seawall. On Sept. 8, 1900 a devastating hurricane and tidal wave destroyed much of Galveston and left 6,000 persons dead. After the tragedy, the city appointed a board of three engineers, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Henry M. Robert (1837-1923), author of "Robert's Rules of Order", Alfred Noble, and H. C. Ripley, to devise protection from future storms. Work on their proposal, to be financed jointly by city, county, and state governments, was started in 1902. To prevent flood damage, buildings were jacked up and the surface of the entire city upgraded, increasing the elevation to a maximum of 12 feet above sea level. As a shield against high waves, a solid concrete wall was built along the Gulf shore of the island. The original section of the seawall, begun in Oct. 1902, stretched 3.3 miles. Founded on wooden pilings, the 17-foot high barrier was backed by a sand embankment and protected in front by stone riprap. The Gulf side of the wall curved outward to prevent water from washing over the top. Finished in July 1904, the seawall proved its value in 1915, when a hurricane more severe than the storm 15 years earlier did far less damage. Since then, the wall has been periodically lengthened. Freed from the threat of further destruction, Galveston has grown into a modern and prosperous city. (1975)"

Physical Description

1 photograph : digital, col.

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This photograph is part of the following collection of related materials.

Photographing Texas

These images come from individuals' travels across the state. Subjects include Texas scenery, wildlife, county courthouses, state parks, national parks, libraries, museums, historic sites, outdoor murals, architecture, monuments, and historic plaques -- a little bit of everything Texas!

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Creation Date

  • October 29, 2005

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Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • Nov. 15, 2005, 11:37 a.m.

Description Last Updated

  • Aug. 13, 2019, 4:06 p.m.

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Yesterday: 6
Past 30 days: 118
Total Uses: 9,365
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  • 29.291170718740098, -94.78696791885778

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Belden, Dreanna L. Historic Plaque, The Original Galveston Seawall, photograph, October 29, 2005; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6599/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

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