Galveston Island State Park
Encyclopedia
Galveston Island State Park, in Galveston County, is in the City of Galveston, Texas
on the west end of Galveston Island
. It is a 2013.1 acres (814.7 ha) site that was acquired in 1969 from private owners under the State Parks Bond Program and was opened in 1975. On September 14, 2008, the park was closed due to damage from Hurricane Ike
. In July 2009 the park was opened once again for camping and outdoor recreation.
As reported in 1985 in the Houston Chronicle
(http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1985_35655/settlement-in-suit-over-isle-state-park-nears-lawy.html), the tale of the land begins in 1950. Maco Stewart Sr., whose father founded Stewart Title Co., owned more than 2,000 acres on the island. In his will, he severed the mineral rights from the surface land rights and gave half of the surface and mineral rights to his wife, Virginia Stewart, and divided the other half between his sons from a former marriage, Wells and Maco Jr. In giving them the surface rights, the senior Maco specified that, upon the death of his wife and sons, his "Galveston Island home" should be given to the state of Texas "to be used and maintained as a fish, game and oyster preserve and for any other public purpose." The will further stated that his heirs "shall not have any right or authority to convey, mortgage, encumber or in any manner dispose of the `surface' estate."
By the late 1960s, Stewart's heirs wanted the park to be built. The heirs received payment for 1,950 acres in 1969. A small part of the property that included the former Stewart Mansion was separated from the land that became the park.
Galveston Island
is believed to be approximately 5000 years old and has had an interesting history during the past 500 years. It is generally believed Cabeza de Vaca and his crew were shipwrecked here in 1520 and eventually made their way from the island to colonies in Mexico
. The LaFitte brothers, fleeing the prosecution of pirates in the United States
, established a government here in 1817, with visions of creating a "Manhattan on the Gulf." Commerce did thrive here, but major storms in 1867, 1871, 1875, and 1886 greatly slowed progress. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900
devastated the island, killing 5000 to 10,000 people, and prompted the construction of the seawall which protects the northern half of the island.
destroyed the sand dunes at Galveston Island State Park. The dunes serve as the only protection that the park has for its facilities. A project was implemented to rebuild the dunes through the use of Christmas trees.
http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1985_35655/settlement-in-suit-over-isle-state-park-nears-lawy.html
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
on the west end of Galveston Island
Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
. It is a 2013.1 acres (814.7 ha) site that was acquired in 1969 from private owners under the State Parks Bond Program and was opened in 1975. On September 14, 2008, the park was closed due to damage from Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
. In July 2009 the park was opened once again for camping and outdoor recreation.
As reported in 1985 in the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
(http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1985_35655/settlement-in-suit-over-isle-state-park-nears-lawy.html), the tale of the land begins in 1950. Maco Stewart Sr., whose father founded Stewart Title Co., owned more than 2,000 acres on the island. In his will, he severed the mineral rights from the surface land rights and gave half of the surface and mineral rights to his wife, Virginia Stewart, and divided the other half between his sons from a former marriage, Wells and Maco Jr. In giving them the surface rights, the senior Maco specified that, upon the death of his wife and sons, his "Galveston Island home" should be given to the state of Texas "to be used and maintained as a fish, game and oyster preserve and for any other public purpose." The will further stated that his heirs "shall not have any right or authority to convey, mortgage, encumber or in any manner dispose of the `surface' estate."
By the late 1960s, Stewart's heirs wanted the park to be built. The heirs received payment for 1,950 acres in 1969. A small part of the property that included the former Stewart Mansion was separated from the land that became the park.
Galveston Island
Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
is believed to be approximately 5000 years old and has had an interesting history during the past 500 years. It is generally believed Cabeza de Vaca and his crew were shipwrecked here in 1520 and eventually made their way from the island to colonies in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The LaFitte brothers, fleeing the prosecution of pirates in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, established a government here in 1817, with visions of creating a "Manhattan on the Gulf." Commerce did thrive here, but major storms in 1867, 1871, 1875, and 1886 greatly slowed progress. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
devastated the island, killing 5000 to 10,000 people, and prompted the construction of the seawall which protects the northern half of the island.
Dunes Renewal Project
September 10, 1998, Tropical Storm FrancesTropical Storm Frances (1998)
Originating over the southwest Caribbean sea on September 4, Tropical Storm Frances became the sixth tropical storm of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. The cyclone moved northward through the western Gulf of Mexico, making landfall across the central Texas coastline before recurving across the...
destroyed the sand dunes at Galveston Island State Park. The dunes serve as the only protection that the park has for its facilities. A project was implemented to rebuild the dunes through the use of Christmas trees.
External links
http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1985_35655/settlement-in-suit-over-isle-state-park-nears-lawy.html