Self-guided tour offers exploration of Black history in Galveston.
Self-guided tour of 22 sites gives visitors a feel for the rich Black history of the island community
Beaches and boating are obvious, but Galveston tourism officials are currently trying a novel strategy to attract more visitors to the island: Black history. In a move its chief tourism officer admits is “long overdue,” the Galveston
Island Convention and Visitors Bureau recently added a self-guided tour of prominent
African American historical sites to its website and corresponding mobile app, Visit Galveston.
“There’s so much to do here already,” says Michael Woody, who has been in his post since the summer of 2019, “but we really are finding that travelers are seeking out those cultural experiences that they can walk away (from) with additional knowledge, or actual experiences as opposed to maybe buying a T-shirt or a seashell.”
The Galveston Historical Foundation and prominent members of the island’s African American community helped the CVB map out the tour, which features 22 sites in all. Among them are Texas’ first Black high school and the site of the Union army headquarters where, on June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger issued an order declaring that all slaves in Texas were free. The day became known as Juneteenth, for which momentum has been gathering for Congress to declare a national holiday. Forty-seven states currently recognize it as a state holiday or observance — Texas was the first, in 1980 — and a bill co-sponsored by now-Vice President Kamala Harris was introduced in the U.S. Senate last year. “Absolute Equality,” artist Reginald Adams’ large
scale installation at 22nd and Strand streets, is scheduled to be unveiled this year on Juneteenth.
Woody says he’s all for it. “I know they’re working on a petition to take back to Washington to see if they can get that to happen, but (it has) a lot of support here,” he adds. “I think that just because we were the home of Juneteenth, that it makes sense for that to become something that is known about this destination, and that we can really find unique ways to celebrate that every year.”
Some of the other sites include:
Reedy Chapel AME Church, 2013 Broadway: After Granger issued his order, known as General Order No. 3, his troops marched through Galveston reading it aloud. This church, also the first African Methodist Episcopal congregation in Texas, was their last stop.
Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church, 2612 Ave. L: One of six Missionary Baptist churches on the tour, this one began as the slave congregation of the First Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1840. It moved to its present site in 1855.
Old Central Cultural Center, 2627 Ave. M: Once Texas’ first African American public library, this building was originally the annex to the longsince demolished Central High School and now operates as a community center and museum. The words “Rosenberg Library Colored Branch” remain carved above 27th Street entrance.
Jack Johnson Park, 1313 26th: This small park across from Old Central Cultural Center — but some distance from Jack Johnson Boulevard, formerly 41st Street — honors the outspoken boxer whose tenure on Galveston’s docks was perfect preparation for his reign as boxing’s World Heavyweight Champion from 1908 to 1915. James Earl Jones scored an Oscar nomination as a barely fictionalized version of Johnson in Martin Ritt’s 1970 film “The Great White Hope.”
African-American Beachfront Businesses, 2820 Ave. R½: This block just off Seawall Boulevard was the segregationera hub of Black beachfront activity, anchored by Jambalaya and the Villa, a pair of restaurants owned by entrepreneur Gus Allen. A park named after Allen stands on the downtown block of Church Street that once held Allen’s namesake hotel and cafe, both of which were featured prominently in the famous “Green Book” travel guide.
Norris Wright Cuney Park, 718 41st: Born to a slave and her owner (a state senator) in Hempstead, Cuney became Galveston’s most influential Black politician after the Civil War. Besides serving as city alderman, customs collector and school inspector, he was also instrumental in securing funding for Central High School and helping African American dockworkers to unionize. African-American Museum, 3427 Sealy: Artist E. Herron painted the likenesses of several prominent Galvestonians — including Jack Johnson; late R&B great Barry White; Annie May Charles, the city’s first Black police officer; and Dr. Beverly Lewis, the University of Texas Medical Branch’s first Black female surgeon — on this green two-story house near Galveston ISD’s Central Media Arts Academy.