East End Historical District Association Celebrating thirty years of service to the residents in Galveston s historic east end

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1 East End Historical District Association Celebrating thirty years of service to the residents in Galveston s historic east end Vol. 32 No. 6 Bob Chapin, Editor June 2005 COMING EVENTS June 4 (Saturday) 6:00pm 9:00pm Art Walk June 4 (Saturday) 6:30pm Elissa Plankowner Party Pier 21 June 4 (Saturday) 10:00am 5:00pm Clean Galveston s Back Yard Garden Tour June 5 (Sunday) 12:00am 5:00pm Clean Galveston s Back Garden Tour June 6 (Monday) 4:00pm Landmark Commission City Hall EEHDA June 2 (Thursday) 7:00pm - Wine & cheese Reception for members. 7:30pm EEHDA Board of Directors General Membership invited! EEHDA June 9 (Thursday) 6:00pm - Block Party 1700 block of Ball June 20 (Monday) 4:00pm Landmark Commission City Hall June 29 (Wednesday) 10:00am Learn to Research Your House (see page 2) Galveston County Judge James Yarbrough attended the May board meeting and gave us an overall update on the new county government facility. While he described several scenarios for the old jail on 19 th street, including one that would tear it down, the most likely prospect is another jail facility of some type. Judge Yarbrough said county officials are hoping for a renter that would house a less transient population, which would be favorable to the neighborhood compared to the current situation. Another welcome suggestion was to relocate the entrance to the jail to the west side of the jail closer to 20 th Street. Requests for proposals for the jail by private companies are currently under review. Judge Yarbrough welcomed questions and left his address: james.yarbrough@co.galveston.tx.us We lost two large beautiful trees during the recent storm, not to mention the houses near 19 th Street blown off their piers. One lost tree was in Darragh Park, the other in the backyard at the cottage. We are exploring budget-friendly ways to replace the trees. Thanks to Fran Kelly for organizing the Kiosk at Homes Tour a lot of work over two weekends. And despite GHF aggressively selling water at all the houses, we still managed to make money. Posters and cookbooks were a big hit. Thank-you to all the volunteers who helped man the kiosk. Don t forget the Clean Galveston Backyard Garden Tour on June 4 th & 5 th. Darragh Park will be featured on the Tour. We will be selling refreshments on those days also. Contact Paul Evans or Jamie Grady if you can help. Our second Block Party in May was another success with over 125 guests. The next one is in the 1700 block of Ball on Thursday June 9 th at 6pm, and will feature a live band. Several houses on the block will be open for informal viewing. Don t forget to bring a covered dish or dessert, and we supply the rest, including soda, water, beer, wine, and frozen margaritas. See you there. 1

2 LEARN TO RESEARCH THE HISTORY OF YOUR HOUSE Have you ever wanted to know something about the history of your house and the people who built it or owned it in the 19 th century? Casey Greene and Jane Chapin will be instructing a FREE how to workshop on Wednesday, June 29, for those interested. Call for Jane at by June 15 to reserve your spot for this workshop. PRESIDENTIAL AND OTHER CELEBRITY VISITS TO THE ISLAND ANNALS OF GALVESTON HISTORY by DON PEAK William Jennings Bryan ( ) democratic candidate for president of the US three times, in 1869, 1900, and 1908 visited Galveston on several occasions. He occupied the pulpit at the First Presbyterian Church and went hunting/fishing with his friends, Colonel William Lewis Moody and his son, W. L. Moody Jr. In 1937 Galveston got a good shot of national publicity as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt fished offshore for tarpon and used the Galvez Hotel as headquarters for this staff. He was entertained by Mayor Adrian F. Levy. America's two great heroes of World War II visited the island. Dwight Eisenhour attended a city-wide luncheon by the Rotary Club of Galveston on the Marine Recreational Pier, now the site of the Flagship Hotel. General Douglas MacArthur arrived here later after he returned from Japan and was honored with a parade hosted by Mayor Herbert Cartwright and while here visited the Galvez Hotel with W. L. Moody, Jr. Douglas (Wrong-Way) Corrigan, who was born in the Gill Building at 21st St. & Market in Galveston, was given a two-day welcome here soon after his celebrated flight from New York to Ireland in COTTAGE & DARRAGH PARK LOSE TREES Surely everyone who is reading this newsletter is aware of the "great storm" of May 8 th 2005 when two of our historic homes were blown off their foundations. The EEHDA was personally touched by this storm as well. We lost a big tree in the back yard of the Cottage as well as one of our beautiful Bradford pear trees in the Darragh Park. Early the next morning I called Greg West Tree Service, who does most of our tree trimming work. With already a backlog of business he was on the scene in just 30 minutes. After our mutual agreement that neither tree was salvageable, I asked for a quote to remove the two trees and grind the stumps. I won't repeat the price other than to say it was a HUGE favor to the EEHDA. I'm sure that he lost money on the deal. Greg said his price was because of the work we give him and the references. Because the 2nd weekend of GHF s Homes Tour was coming up, I asked him to get started as soon as he could. Within 30 minutes I heard chain saws in action. He had 4 workers taking down the trees and grinding the stumps and the job was done in about 3 hours. Greg, please accept this as a big thank you from the East End Historical District Association! Submitted by Paul Evans 2

3 Following recent, memorable episodes of serious flooding, the City of Galveston devised a long term plan to improve drainage Island-wide. While drainage on much of the West End is literally non-existent, the East End and Central City have storm drains that appear functional when the weather is sunny, but these drains are essentially worthless when they are needed because they are clogged with debris. East Enders know the miseries attendant to stopped-up drains during a strong thunderstorm. Your City Council took a bold step when it made the decision to assess a monthly drainage fee to address 100 years of decay in our storm sewer infrastructure, and the public has supported the program. The collection of this fee is sympathetically tolerated, in my opinion, because residents appreciate a tangible and direct benefit from the monthly payment of their dollars into the drainage utility fund. The result is less flooding and improved drainage. Here is a list of what your government has accomplished with your drainage fee tax dollars since October 1, 2004: 7,000 feet of drainage ditches have been cleaned of trees, debris, and dirt accumulation; 1,042 tons of debris has been removed from storm drainage pipes including 215 tons from Harborside Drive; 20.6 miles of curb line have been cleaned of grass, dirt and debris for a total of tons; A total of 2.5 million pounds of debris has been removed from the streets and storm drains; Staff has reviewed various drainage maintenance options for the Playa San Luis Subdivision and Sunny Beach Subdivision / Henderson Hole area with the Corps of Engineers; and Staff has met with representatives of the Ostermeyer Road / 9-Mile Road Area and has a preliminary drainage improvement plan determined for the area. Now that the City has staffed and equipped a drainage utility department to comb the City s streets and storm drains, our next step is to fund capital improvements, such as replacing nonfunctioning drainage pipes throughout the City and installing drainage systems in previously unserved areas. This will cost a lot of money. But this work must be done to improve our Island. We have to be able to get to work, pick up our kids and navigate our Island s streets, even in the rain, and a modern, functioning city is expected to drain when it rains. This program is greatly needed and long overdue, and the citizens deserve tangible results from efficient use of their tax dollars. Thank you for your support of this effort. 3

4 ROSENBERG ROARS AGAIN Congratulations to two Rosenberg Elementary School "stars" for their outstanding achievements. Rosenberg principal, Billie Rinaldi, was presented with the Communities in Schools "Shining Star Award" at a dinner at the Tremont Hotel for "her dedication and commitment to the student body in recognizing what a student's potential truly can be". Mr. Tony Walker, Chief Building Engineer at Rosenberg, was named the GISD Operations Employee of the year - and all you have to do is tour Rosenberg to see why. Congratulations to our Rosenberg neighbors! DID YOU KNOW? In 1983 EEHDA s Cottage was part of the Galveston Historical Foundation s Annual Homes Tour. Small Houses of Galveston, a photographic exhibit by Ellen Beasley was on display for Cottage visitors. 4

5 RESTORATION OF THE MONTH 1614 POSTOFFICE This home was built for the lumber dealer Walter F. Stewart. The current owner, Lucia Tropea, came to the United States forty-six years ago. She married Frank Tropea and moved into this home as a young bride. Lucia also owns the property located at 1610 Postoffice. Both locations are attractive and well maintained. 5

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