Galveston Tour Spotlights Sacred Places

St. Joseph's, Galveston

Galveston (Texas) Historical Foundation will present the 16th annual Sacred Places tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 25.

The popular tour benefits the foundation’s ongoing restoration of St. Joseph’s Church, the oldest wooden church building in Galveston and the oldest German Catholic church in Texas. A wide range of religious traditions and building styles will be featured, highlighting the island’s rich religious heritage while showcasing the depth and range of Galveston’s sacred architecture. The tour concludes at 4 p.m. at Holy Rosary Church with a concert by Galveston’s Holy Family Parish Choirs from St. Patrick’s, Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Churches.

This year’s sacred places on tour include:

St. Joseph’s Church (Tour Headquarters) – 2202 Avenue K

By the middle of the 19th century, Galveston Island was home to 2,000-3,000 German immigrants, almost half the total population. Bishop John Odin, the first Catholic bishop of Texas, recommended that a church be built for the German-speaking Catholics of the growing city. Built by German immigrants in 1859-60, the church was dedicated in April 1860 to St. Joseph, the patron saint of laborers.

First Baptist Church – 822 23rd Street
First Baptist Church of Galveston was organized in 1840 at the home of Thomas H. Borden. The first pastor of the church, John Huckins, also established First Baptist Church in Houston and was one of the founders of Baylor University. Gail Borden, Jr., brother of Thomas Borden, was the first deacon, and the first member to join by baptism. On Feb. 4, 1840, he became the first person to be baptized in the Gulf of Mexico west of the Mississippi River.

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church – 1410 41st Street
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church is the oldest African-American Episcopal Church in the State of Texas. The congregation was first organized in June 1884, in response to 50 black seamen who petitioned the Rev. Charles M. Parkman, then rector of Grace Episcopal Church. Prior to 1884, African-American Episcopalians on Galveston Island attended services held for them at Grace on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church – 1010 35th Street
The cornerstone of St. Patrick Catholic Church was laid on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1872 on the northwest corner of 34th Street at Avenue K. Designed by the famous ecclesiastical architect Nicholas J. Clayton, noted throughout Texas for his church designs, the structure exhibits Clayton’s characteristic use of decorative ornament and complex forms. Clayton, a devout Catholic, was a member of St. Patrick’s parish.

Sunlight Missionary Baptist Church – 3501 Broadway
Rev. J. R. Humphrey organized Sunlight Missionary Baptist Church in 1930. After his death in 1951, Rev. R.L. Davenport was elected pastor. Under his leadership the congregation purchased the building that formerly housed the Broadway Baptist Church at 35th Street and Broadway. In October 1970, members of the church marched from their home of nearly 30 years on Market Street to their grand new building on Broadway for a dedication service; ten years later the congregation held a mortgage-burning ceremony.

Galveston Islamic Center – 921 Broadway
The Galveston Islamic Center, the county’s first mosque, opened its doors in October, 2002. It features a 40-foot tower topped by a dome, which serves as a symbolic beacon to call worshippers to prayer. The mosque features two prayer rooms: one to accommodate 250 men and the other able to hold 75 women. The mosque also features a library and a multipurpose room used for youth meetings, potluck suppers and other community events.

Swedish Zion Lutheran Church – 402 18th Street
In the 19th century many Swedes who immigrated to Texas settled in Galveston. After meeting informally for years, the group that became known as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church of Galveston, Texas was organized on Oct. 2, 1881. In December, 1894, the young congregation made plans to build a chapel on Eighteenth Street near Market. The small frame chapel, finished the following year, was home to the Zion Lutheran Church for more than a quarter of a century.

Lakeview Cemetery – 57th Street and Avenue U
Chartered in 1886, this cemetery is the final resting place for David G. Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas and Gen. Sidney Sherman, Texas Revolutionary war hero and Major General of the Texas Militia. Noteworthy Galveston citizens buried here include, Walter Gresham, whose home is known today as Bishop’s Palace and Cora Mae Cline, wife of famous meteorologist, Isaac Cline, on whose life the novel “Isaac’s Storm” is based. Isaac was chief of the US Weather Service bureau in Galveston during the 1900 Storm.

Holy Rosary Church – 1420 31st Street
End the tour of Sacred Places with a concert by Galveston’s Holy Family Parish Choirs from St. Patrick’s, Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Churches at 4 pm.
Established in 1886, Holy Rosary was the first African-American Catholic school in Texas. Originally located in a cottage at 12th Street and Avenue K, a new school building was quickly erected at 25th Street and Avenue L to accommodate the growing enrollment. In 1889 Father Philip Keller, a native of Germany, was appointed first resident pastor of Holy Rosary Parish. He and the Sisters of the Holy Family organized Holy Rosary Industrial School where children were taught dressmaking, cooking and housekeeping. The church, and all of the parish buildings, were moved to their present site in 1914. The current church was completed in 1950.

Advance tickets for the tour are $10 and available online at www.galvestonhistory.org. Pre-reserved group rates are available. On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased for $12 at St. Joseph’s Church, 2202 Avenue K.

For more information on the 16th Annual Sacred Places Tour, please visit www.galvestonhistory.org or call 409-765-7834.