A community art project that highlights the City of Galveston and the conservation efforts of Turtle Island Restoration Network to protect endangered sea turtles on the upper Texas coast.
Pointedexter
Tourist-Ted Timmy Waters
TOR-tle
Flora theQueenof Sea
SELF-GUIDED TOUR SELF-GUIDED TOUR
BRINGING TOGETHER ART, AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY. Lady
Shelly Sandersun
Sargasso Susan
SpiritofSea Aggieland theGuardianof
Rovin' Rotarian JoyRide
TigerLilly
Gem’s Tea by the Sea
Feel
Galveston is best known for sun‑splashed beaches, Victorian cottages, and Mardi Gras parades, yet beneath the charming facade lies a more complicated reality. In this “Darker Side of Galveston” issue, we confront the histories and traumas that rarely make the tourist brochures: slave auctions conducted on The Strand, the racist violence that followed the 1900 storm, and the quiet crises of addiction, abuse, and suicide that ripple through island neighborhoods today. By shining light on these stories, we’re not seeking to sensationalize—we’re hoping to understand, to honor those who’ve suffered and to chart a more compassionate path forward.
This theme also speaks to me personally. I first came to Galveston as a newcomer, making my way here after a series of losses, including the loss of my soul dog. After being laid off from a job I loved, my husband and I sold everything to travel in an RV in search of healing. We eventually chose Galveston as our home base because something about the island’s spirit and its mix of grit and grace resonated with our own need to rebuild. Working on this issue has been another step in that journey; exploring the island’s darker chapters has allowed me to sit with my own grief while finding solace in the resilience of others.
Galveston’s darkness does not define it, but ignoring that darkness keeps us from fully appreciating its beauty. If we can face the painful parts of our history and our own lives, we can begin to heal individually and collectively. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Jessica Safavimehr
ON THE COVER: Citizens remove bodies after the Great Storm of 1900, an overlooked tragedy within a devastating natural disaster.
Compassion for others' grief creates a safe, validating space where they feel seen and supported. Managing grief allows us to honor our loss while gradually restoring emotional balance. It helps prevent prolonged suffering and opens space for connection. Hold space for others; it means more than you know.
Photo Courtesy of Forever East Photography
GUIDE TO HEALING: BRINGING LIGHT INTO THE SHADOWS
You can't have good without bad, life without death, and joy without sadness. It’s not easy, but it’s about time we talk about it. Grief, depression, anxiety, and trauma affect many of us, yet sometimes finding help on a barrier island like Galveston can feel daunting.
Culture Clash Magazine interviewed local advocates and healers to build a comprehensive resource guide for islanders. Below you’ll find professional counseling services, crisis hotlines, support groups, alternative healing options, and practical advice for supporting loved ones in need. Our goal is simple: to make it easier for neighbors to heal, grow, and support one another.
Community‑Driven & Volunteer Resources
HIKE FOR HOPE (AFSP)
Hike for Hope is an annual 5K walk along the Seawall that draws hundreds of participants to honor loved ones lost to suicide and raise funds for mental‑health awareness. Many attendees take resources home quietly—sometimes that slip of paper provides a first glimmer of hope. Last year’s walk drew more than 600 people, and the committee is planning its fifth event for next March.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call the Gulf Coast Center’s 24‑hour crisis hotline at 866‑729‑3848 or dial 9‑1‑1 and request a mental‑health response.
Volunteering boosts well-being by fostering connection, building self-worth, and creating a sense of purpose through helping others and contributing to something larger than oneself.
Hike for Hope does consistent presentation for middle and high school students and pamphlets on youth mental health and suicide prevention. Diverse community members—including LGBTQ+, Spanish‑speaking, faith‑based, and secular voices—are encouraged to join to help reach every “lunch table” in Galveston.
Professional Counseling & Therapy Services
GULF COAST CENTER
Who they serve: All ages—including those experiencing homelessness or substance use problems—and anyone in a mental‑health crisis.
What they provide: A 24‑hour crisis hotline; emergency and stabilization services; inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care; counseling; skills and education training. Walk‑in evaluations are available through same‑day/next‑day clinics.
Who they serve: Individuals, couples, families, youth (0–17), fathers, mothers, veterans, survivors of crime, juveniles involved with the justice system, and classrooms.
What they provide: Programs including free counseling for people who have experienced trauma, parenting counseling, one on one counseling for children and teens, and group sessions led by prevention specialists in schools, churches, and community centers. Topics include grief, self‑esteem, decision making, and coping skills.
RESOURCE CRISIS CENTER (RCC)
Who they serve: Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking; all people in crisis needing safety planning.
What they provide: Trauma‑informed therapy provided by licensed therapists at no cost. RCC also provides support groups and therapy that focuses on trust, safety, and evidence‑based trauma interventions for adults while tailoring therapy to children’s developmental level.
FAMILY SERVICE CENTER
Sometimes you need a pro. During times of grief, trauma and at this point everyday life it is beneficial to have someone who is not in a personal relationship with you to talk to and lean on.
UTMB HEALTH
Who they serve: Anyone facing mental‑health or substance‑use challenges. UTMB students or locals in the area.
What they provide: Comprehensive psychiatric care with personalized evaluations, evidence‑based therapies (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy), medication management, and recovery support.
Pranic Healing & Psychic Mediumship
SACRED PATHWAYS
Who they serve: Adults and teens seeking complementary therapies for depression, anxiety, grief, chronic pain, or spiritual connection.
What they provide: Pranic Healing is a non touch energy healing modality. It utilizes the concept of "prana," or life force energy, which circulates through chakras (energy centers) and meridians. The goal is to restore energetic balance and facilitate the body's natural healing processes.
Pranic healing is considered complementary and is not an evidence‑based medical therapy; always consult healthcare providers for medical or psychiatric conditions.
Alternative or holistic methods for healing is grounded in years of practice and can help you recenter yourself with the universe.
Reiki, Raindrop Therapy & Evidential Mediumship
Who they serve: Individuals seeking gentle, non‑invasive ways to process grief, release stuck emotions, or simply relax.
What they provide: Oceana Healing offers Reiki sessions, raindrop therapy and evidential mediumship and card readings.
Reiki sessions begin with an assessment of the client’s chakras and energy field; using Reiki symbols and intention, healing energy is then channeled to clear blockages. Crystals and essential oils are often incorporated, and intuitive messages may surface during the session.
Raindrop therapy involves layering therapeutic‑grade essential oils (like oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram, wintergreen, cypress, and peppermint) along the spine and feet using Vitaflex, a Tibetan reflexology technique. The practitioner uses gentle piezoelectric movements to stimulate the body’s electrical pathways, helping the oils penetrate and clearing energetic congestion.
Evidential mediumship and card readings are sessions in which the medium provides specific memories or details to validate connections with loved ones who have passed. Oracle or tarot card pulls at the end of a session reinforce messages.
These offerings are complementary practices and should not replace medical or psychological treatment. They may, however, provide relaxation and spiritual support alongside conventional care. Contact Culture Clash Magazine for referral information.
Mediumship can bring comfort, healing, and a sense of connection by offering reassurance of life after death and helping individuals find meaning through spiritual insight and guidance.
OCEANA HEALING
A HISTORIC FILM. A HISTORIC STORM.
Join us for free showings of the newly-remastered “The Great Storm” film in honor of the event’s 125 anniversary. th
YOUR FRONT ROW TO GALVESTONʼS BIGGEST EVENTS
MONDAY, SEPT. 8
WORTHAM AUDITORIUM ROSENBERG LIBRARY
Showings on the hour from 10 AM - 4 PM
View newly-added storm images and artifacts in our Harris Gallery. The film will be a permanent gallery installation Sept. 9 and beyond.
Voices of the Island
Take a hard look at the city’s role in the domestic slave trade, unearthing auction blocks once hidden in plain sight and reclaiming the stories of those who endured them. From there, it moves forward through time with first‑person accounts of loss, resilience, and healing on the families rebuilding after storms.
HIDDEN HISTORIES: UNEARTHING GALVESTON
As told by Anthony P. Griffin | Photos Courtesy of Contributor
When civil‑rights attorney Anthony Griffin looked at the dusty plot he owns on the west side of Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard, he saw more than an investment. The land sits at the edge of the neighborhood once called the Jungle, a vice district where Black Galvestonians were allowed to rent but rarely permitted to own. In 2020, Griffin received a letter from a utility company hinting at acquiring his property for a substation. “I knew it wasn’t a real eminent‑domain notice,” he later recalled, “but it made me ask: What is the historic purpose of my land?”
As the pandemic kept the world indoors, Griffin turned to research. He wanted to find evidence that Galveston— birthplace of Juneteenth—was also home to slave auction houses. That wasn’t a popular idea. When he phoned the city’s Rosenberg Library for help, staff initially told him there had been no slave auctions in Galveston. “I laughed and said, ‘This is the South! There’s no way slavery wasn’t commodified here,’” he remembered. Library staff later conceded there might have been one auction house near 22nd Street and The Strand, but said they couldn’t be sure of the address. Griffin, a seasoned litigator used to digging through records, decided to prove it.
Griffin subscribed to newspaper databases, scoured Civilian and Galveston Gazette archives, joined Ancestry. com and rode his bicycle around the Strand district, taking notes. Digital search algorithms eventually began surfacing documents on their own. “I fell in a hole,” he said of the months‑long dive into history. Among the documents was an 1842 advertisement from a general commission house at the corner of 22nd Street and The Strand. The ad boasted that the firm would auction “produce, real estate, Negroes, & cotton.”[1]. Griffin matched that notice with an early 20th‑century planning letter that referenced a vegetable market at the same site. One of the old auction ads also stated that enslaved people were sold on Tuesdays and Fridays, matching oral history that sales occurred twice a week[2].
Trigger Warning: This content may be distressing or triggering for individuals due to its potentially sensitive nature regarding race and related topics like racism, racial violence, or racial stereotypes. !
He overlaid these references on Sanborn fire‑insurance maps and discovered that the building stood near 20th Street and Mechanic Street, right where the shoreline once reached before being filled in after the 1900 storm. The library’s denial, he realized, stemmed from gaps in white‑authored histories; Black lives simply weren’t recorded. Griffin soon amassed boxes of photocopies, books, and letters documenting the city’s role in the domestic slave trade. His research confirmed what historians have long whispered: Galveston was a slave market.
Official histories corroborate Griffin’s detective work. The Texas State Historical Association notes that John Seabrook Sydnor, a Galveston merchant and future mayor, ran public auctions on Strand Street in the 1850s[3]. Sydnor’s sale house became the largest slave auction west of New Orleans[4], a point repeated in local lore. A Jan. 7 1842 notice advertised that Sydnor and his partner sold enslaved people from an office at 22nd and Strand[1]. During the Juneteenth Freedom Walk, a historian from ABC7 Los Angeles stood near Pier 22 and told visitors that Black men, women and children were sold every Tuesday and Friday at this site[2].
The same corner later gained new meaning on June 19, 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3—the declaration that enslaved Texans were free—outside the Union Army headquarters at the Strand and 22nd Street. Today, the Juneteenth Legacy Project art gallery occupies the building that once served as a slave auction house and later as Granger’s headquarters[5][6]. The transformation from auction block to memorial is poignant: Galveston’s Black community literally turned a place of bondage into a site of liberation.
For Griffin, uncovering this past was deeply personal. His great‑grandparents had been born into slavery; his mother, like many Black elders, rarely discussed it. “Researching this made me angry, but it also made me proud,” he said. During the late 19th century Galveston boasted Texas’s first high school for African Americans—Central High School, founded in 1885[7]—and a thriving middle class of Black business owners, teachers and longshoremen. This prosperity enraged whites. After the catastrophic 1900 hurricane killed thousands, white vigilantes accused Black survivors of looting, executed some without trial, and forced Black men to bury the dead[8][9]. A commission form of government was created that excluded Black representation, ushering in Jim Crow segregation.
Slave bill of sale
Historic Image of Black Galvestonians
Griffin discovered that post‑Civil War progress and subsequent repression played out in other ways. Following emancipation, freedpeople built homes north of Broadway, established churches, and even attempted to integrate Ball High School. When white citizens bribed officials to block integration, Black Galvestonians petitioned for fairness. In 1909, local resident and activist Clara Scull used her connections to Black newspapers nationwide to solicit aid for Black storm survivors, knowing mainstream relief would prioritize white families. Stories like hers appear in Griffin’s forthcoming book as reminders that resistance and self‑advocacy are hallmarks of Galveston’s Black experience.
Griffin’s ultimate goal is to keep the land he owns and establish an interpretive center that tells these stories. He envisions a museum or memorial that would show children where the auction blocks stood and explain how enslaved people were marched from ships to the market. He also sees it as a legal strategy: demonstrating that the site holds historical significance could protect it from seizure. His research is ongoing—“you can fall into this hole and keep digging,” he joked—but he’s determined. “Until we admit that slavery was a holocaust—stripping people of their names, bodies and dignity—we’ll keep creating underclasses in this country.”
Galveston often celebrates its role as the birthplace of Juneteenth, but Griffin’s work reminds us that freedom was declared at the same intersection where Black families were once auctioned. To honor Juneteenth fully, Culture Clash believes we must also remember the auction block. Only by recognizing Galveston’s complicated past can we build a more just future.
[1] "General Commission and Auction Business," Civilian and Galveston Gazette, January 7, 1842
[5] [6] Juneteenth Legacy Project Headquarters art gallery, inside the Nia Cultural Center in Galveston, inspires next generation ABC13 Houston
https://abc13.com/post/juneteenth legacy project headquarters art gallery inside nia/14977601/
[7] Central Middle School — Galveston Unscripted
https://www.galvestonunscripted.com/central middle school 1
[8] Weathering the Storm: Life for Black… | Rosenberg Library Museum https://www.rosenberg library museum.org/exhibits/weathering the storm life for black galvestonians in 1900 and beyond
When Janae Pullman walks through Galveston’s east end, she sees more than pastel cottages and weekenders in flip–flops. She sees the streets her great‑great‑grandparents walked, the public schools where her family taught, and the cemetery where her elders are buried. Pullman, 32, is part of a long line of Black educators, preachers, and community organizers on the island. Her great‑grandmother, Clara Emma Scull, taught at East District School and Central High School— the first high school for African‑American students in Texas. Clara served as the national secretary of the Sisters of the Mysterious Ten, a mutual‑aid society; in the aftermath of the 1900 hurricane, she appealed to that network for aid when relief for Black Galvestonians was scarce[1]. “Her house was destroyed and rebuilt, but she still organized to get money for other people,” Pullman says with admiration.
That hurricane—the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history—looms large in Pullman’s telling of Galveston’s past. The storm, a Category‑4 hurricane, killed an estimated 6,000–12,000 people[2]. It didn’t just flatten buildings; it fractured a thriving Black community. Before the storm, Galveston’s Black residents were making impressive strides. Freedpeople found work as longshoremen, domestics, and shopkeepers. Central High School (founded in 1885) provided an education that drew families from across Texas[3]. Black men like state senator George T. Ruby mobilized voters, and educator J.R. Gibson ran Central High School and the colored branch of the Rosenberg Library[4]. “We were making something of ourselves. We owned property. My family could see the beach from their house,” Pullman says.
Trigger Warning: This content may be distressing or triggering for individuals due to its potentially sensitive nature regarding race and related topics like racism, racial violence, or racial stereotypes.
THE 1900 STORM AND ITS AFTERMATH
Natural disasters expose the fault lines of society. The 1900 storm devastated churches, schools, and homes in Black neighborhoods[5]. In the chaotic weeks after the hurricane, newspapers sensationalized stories of looting and mischaracterized Black survivors, paving the way for white vigilantes to execute residents who had been falsely accused[6]. Business leaders and politicians then forced Black men to clear debris and bury the dead at gunpoint[6]. White officials used the emergency to push through a commission‑style government that excluded Black voters[7]. The storm and the Jim Crow laws that followed stripped away much of the progress made during Reconstruction[5]. “You cannot strategically remove power from Black people on the island and then suddenly shove it back when there’s federal recognition or money," Pullman says. “Whole generations left after the storm because they didn’t see a place for themselves here.”
Amid the wreckage, Black Galvestonians mobilized their own relief. Educator J.R. Gibson worked with Clara Barton’s Red Cross and was entrusted with funds specifically to aid Black storm survivors[8]. Clara Scull appealed to the Sisters of the Mysterious Ten for help and helped rebuild her own home[1]. Such efforts allowed the community to rebuild churches, schools and social clubs, even as the new commission government rolled back political power. “We’ve always had to take care of ourselves,” Pullman notes.
A FRAGILE PRESENT AND LOOKING FORWARD
While Galveston’s Juneteenth celebrations draw visitors from around the country, Pullman sees a shrinking Black population on the island. After segregation officially ended, gentrification and rising housing costs pushed many Black residents to the mainland. Jobs in tourism and medicine dominate the local economy; creative and office work is scarce. “Our elders are still doing the work because the younger generation left,” Pullman explains. She worries that proposals to build a large Juneteenth museum on the island could overburden an already hollowed‑out community. “It’s a beautiful idea, but you can’t ask a small group of people who’ve been starved of resources to carry something so big,” she says.
Pullman also points to the convoluted local government— separate entities manage the city, port, tourism, and parks boards—as a barrier to unified action. “It’s a double‑edged sword. Because we don’t have a strong mayor, a random person can go to the city council and be heard. But any random person can also stop progress,” she says. Competition for shrinking philanthropic dollars pits organizations against each other when collaboration is desperately needed. “We have too many nonprofits for such a small island. People start something instead of partnering, and the pot is getting smaller as the old money leaves.”
Yet she remains committed to Galveston. Pullman sees her role as a bridge: “People of color are always bilingual in culture. We know our own culture and the dominant culture, and that’s a gift. Being able to connect people who feel like misfits is powerful.” Through Vision Galveston and GAIA, she advocates for affordable housing, arts programs and youth engagement. She mentors students and organizes workshops at the library. She uses her mixed heritage and communication skills to help different communities understand each other.
Pullman hopes that Galveston will acknowledge the full scope of its Black history and support the people who live it. Exhibits like “Weathering the Storm” highlight both the
devastation of 1900 and the resilience that followed[9]. Grass‑roots projects like Vision Galveston and GAIA nurture young artists and activists. Pullman believes that maintaining the island’s Black legacy means investing in education, housing, and jobs so that young families can stay. “Galveston has so much potential,” she says. “But potential only becomes reality when we listen to the people who’ve been here all along and give them the resources to thrive.”
[1] [4] [5] [8] [9] Weathering the Storm: Life for Black… | Rosenberg Library Museum
https://www.rosenberg library museum.org/exhibits/weathering the storm‑life ‑for‑black‑galvestonians‑in‑1900‑and‑beyond [2] 1900 Galveston hurricane Wikipedia
In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Pit and the Pendulum," the narrator describes being bound and tortured by judges of the Spanish Inquisition. Unlike his usual supernatural fare, Poe here plunges into visceral reality. Shackled to a wooden torture board, alone in a deep stone prison, the narrator sees and hears a razor-edged pendulum blade hiss and swing, descending inch by inch toward his chest. With claustrophobic terror, Poe allows no escape.
When I think about the Houston Mass Murders of 1970–1973 (“serial killer” wasn’t a term yet), a chill runs down my spine imagining that Poe’s tortured narrator must have shared a sensory kinship with the teenage victims of Dean Corll, David Brooks, and Elmer Wayne Henley — the Candy Man Killers — who often came to Galveston County to bury their victims in the dunes of High Island.
It's no wonder our quiet coast, with its 60 linear miles of county shoreline that’s as dark as a raven on moonless nights, is the perfect dumping ground for all sorts of flotsam, and jetsam.
Go a little farther inland and you’ll find a place actually called “The Killing Fields” due to its notoriety as the perfectly camouflaged burial pit for murder victims. From the straights of San Luis Pass on the west, to a hundred or so paces past the High Island Cross at the elbow of Highway 87 on the east, the county is filled with thick marsh scrub, distant sand dunes, and isolated farm-tomarket-to-nowhere roads – the trifecta of body hiding places. And, don’t forget the shark feeding trough out there in the Gulf of Mexico. With no GPS, webcams, or social media to track their movements, to the Candy Man Killers, early 1970s Galveston County must have seemed like (probably was) a backwater hole-in-the-wall where their victims could never be found, and no tell-tale heart could ever beat again.
Trigger Warning: This content contains references to violence, sexual violence, and homicide. !
High Island Beach Exhumation in Houston, Texas August 1973
Henley (left) and David Brooks (right), pictured at High Island Beach
There’s not enough room here to go into the details of all the Candy Man Killers murders. But you can’t tell the story of Galveston’s dark side without telling some of the dark parts. There are plenty of other places to find out more about the Houston Mass Murders – it was the largest known serial murder event in American history until the late 1970s. What is remarkable, and sadly unremarkable for the period, is that from 1970 to 1973, no less than 29 Houston males between the ages of 13 and 20 went missing from their homes in predominantly the same Houston Heights neighborhood, and no one, save their families, cared very much about
considered them all to be “runaways.” The actual number of victims is probably twice that, but we’ll never know. At least seven of them, including Corll’s first murder victim, Jeffrey Konen, age 18, were buried in the tan, silty sand of High Island Beach. Six were found.
The seventh – Mark Steven Scott, age 17 – is still buried out there, upright and in the fetal position, his crypt now covered by the Gulf’s murky salt waters that permanently inundated the High Island beach during Hurricane Ike.
Corll’s sadism rivaled any imagined by Poe. His victims were bound, tortured over days, raped, shocked, mutilated, then strangled or shot. His youngest victim, Jerry Waldrop, 13, and his brother Donald, 15, were abducted, tortured, raped, and murdered together.
To contextualize Corll’s abhorrent nature, his youngest victim, Jerry Waldrop, age 13, and his older brother, Donald, age 15, were both abducted by Brooks as they were walking home. Delivered to Corll for bounty, they were tortured together, raped together, and, with help from Brooks, killed together.
High Island Beach Exhumation August 1973 Courtesy of The Sunday Tribune
Henley points to gravesite on High Island.
MASS MURDERS
was a U.S. Army veteran and vice president of candy business. By the mid-60s, he was known Man” for giving treats to neighborhood boys. accomplices, and who better than other teen brought Brooks into his lair, who then brought in probably meant to be a victim, until Corll took Corll paid Brooks and Henley a bounty of $200 2025) per boy they could lure to him. Brooks looked for the low-hanging fruit – most of the victims Corll were their own friends.
witnesses reported seeing the Candy Man at various spots along Galveston Beach. Though descriptions of the men were accurate for all three, at police declined to conduct searches of the area. Corll died by the sword – Henley shot him to death a night of huffing paint and in a final rage to female victim he ever brought into Corll’s torture. The death penalty wasn’t in effect in 1975, was sentenced to life and died of COVID-19 at 2020 at Galveston’s UTMB Texas Department Justice Hospital. Henley was sentenced 99-year prison terms and is incarcerated at the Unit in Longview. Parole has been denied at every his eligibility in 1980. His next parole hearing 2025 and is likely to be denied again. My request article was denied by a victim protest. (Henley’s some say in the interviews he can and can’t
rebels, in Galveston County. But where you find abundant goodness and life, the bad will always occupy the moldy netherworlds. That the Candy Man Killers found their way here in the 1970s should be remembered, if but only to impede the evil psycho-savagery thirst of those like them still lurking in the shadows, in our midst.
If you or someone you know is a runaway and/or homeless youth in need of help, you can call toll-free 24 hours a day the National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-RUNAWAY.
One of two torture boards constructed by Corll.
Search at High island for the victims
FALL 2025 Programming
Classes for youth & adults Semester begins September 1
Sewing Foundations with artist Lis Joy for adults meets Thursdays in October. You will learn basic sewing by hand and machine work, garment construnction, and upcycling found fabrics.
Art Club for Teens, for older artists, meets Wednesdays 5:30-7:00. Teens learn from 3 local artist practicing a variety of skills and techniques while connecting with other teens in the community.
Custom Toy Design, with artist Janae Pulliam, is perfect for youth and teens who enjoy making up characters, anime figures, or capsule toys. Young artists will sketch their figures, build their sculptures, mold clay and paint their custom toy design.
Seasonal Workshops include, Haunted Impressions in collaboration with Kathleen Maca, Handmade Holiday, Fezzywig Friday at GAC, and more.
Scan the QR code to see more classes & register for this event
Coolture: Arts + Music
Millions flock to Galveston County for its macabre allure—where the deadliest storm, fiery explosions, haunted saloons, and a bawdy past of prostitution fuel ghost tours and dark tourism like nowhere else on the Gulf Coast.
The Texas City disaster was a catastrophic industrial accident that occurred on April 16, 1947. It involved a series of explosions on two cargo ships, the SS Grandcamp and the SS High Flyer, both carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer.
For more info, check out the Texas City Museum.
MORBID MUSEUM ARTIFACTS
Just miles from Galveston, the 1947 Texas City Disaster left devastation in its wake. Museum relics—charred, silent—recall the explosions that killed hundreds, leveled buildings, and scorched the city, marking the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history. Most of the items are on permanent display at the Texas City Museum; however, a few are only taken out for temporary exhibits/research purposes.
Part of a shoe recovered from the site of the 1947 disaster. This set of shoe parts belongs to “Body #319.”
A clock from the City Hall Service Station operating in Texas City during 1947. The clock stopped exactly at the time of the Grandcamp’s explosion on April 16, 1947— 9:12 AM.
Metal shards, once the Grandcamp and Highflyer, represent the debris strewn throughout Texas City after the explosion. Labeled by residents, these “raindrops” were coined by the way the shrapnel "rained" from the sky.
2 1 3 4 5
This larger piece of shrapnel, 3.5 feet long by 2.7 feet wide, and thousands of others like it, rained down over town, causing major damage and further danger to the citizens of Texas City.
This everyday set of items including a pocketknife, razor, address book, nail file, and tube of lipstick were found at the site of the disaster. The body that these items were found with are attributed to “Body #398,” one of many collections of objects gathered by the Texas City Police Department in the wake of the 1947 Disaster.
PULSE
SPONSORED BY:
THE GREAT STORM FILM SHOWING
SEPT - OCT EVENTS 2025
EVENTS
COMMEMORATING
THE 1900 STORM AND LEGACY
September 4 | 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM
The Bryan Museum
The Great Storm has been digitally restored from its 35MM slide presentation to an advanced wide-screen, highdefinition format.
Admission: Free for Members, $18 for Non-Members
RISING TOGETHER: GALVESTON SET TO RECEIVE WORLD RECORD FOR ICONIC SEAWALL
September 6 | 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Galveston Seawall
Galveston is preparing to make history. Our beloved Seawall will be officially awarded a World Record for the Longest Walkway in the United States, stretching 7.4 miles along the sparkling Gulf.
REGISTER HERE
Register for the event using the QR code. Registered participants will receive check-in details by email closer to the date.
Admission: Free
THE GREAT PAINTING UNVEILING: THE EMOTIONAL TRINITY
September 6 | 10 AM – 11 AM
The Bryan Museum
Join The Bryan Museum and Museum founder, J.P. Bryan, as we unveil the Museum's first grand scale outdoor painting by artist Vickie McMillan-Hayes. In honoring the thousands of lives that were lost 125 years ago, Ms. Hayes has depicted the resilience of Galveston and its people.
Admission: Free
SPOOKY SEASON
GALVESTON SANDCASTLE FESTIVAL
September 13 - 14 |All Day
East Beach
Come out to one of the largest amateur sandcastle competitions in the world. More than 25 teams transform the sand into towering sculptures using only sand and water. The festival also includes live music, local food trucks, art vendors, a kid zone, and hands-on lessons with professional sandcastle builders.
Admission: Prices Vary
GHOST COAST FESTIVAL
October 17 - October 19 | All Day
League Kempner Mansion
This family friendly event includes a vendor market, panels, speakers, paranormal investigations, ghost tours, psychic readings, kids activities, entertainment and much more!
Admission: Prices Vary
GALVESTON ISLAND OKTOBERFEST
October 24 - October 25 | All Day
Downtown Entertainment District
Enjoy live German music, traditional food and drinks, local shopping, and kid-friendly activities, all in one lively downtown setting. Come early for the keg tapping, stay for the polka, and don’t forget your festive attire. It’s a fun, fall tradition that brings the community together year after year.
Admission: Prices Vary
MYSTICAL PARADE OF BOO
October 25 | TBD
Historic Strand District
On this haunted island night, more than 30 groups— ghostly marchers, high-spirited bands, and costumed characters of every kind—will make their way through the heart of downtown in a spectacle of sound, light, and Halloween magic. Wear your costume and catch beads and treats.
Admission: Free
CELEBRATING 8 YEARS IN PRINT
YOU’RE INVITED TO THE CULTURE CLASH EPIC BASH
LIVE ART AND MUSIC VENDORS FOOD BEER
FAMILY-FRIENDLY 2521 MARKET ST RSVP HERE NOV 15 5PM - 9PM
WALKING THE DARKER SIDE OF GALVESTON
From devastating storms to infamous crimes, the island’s history is rich with stories that draw visitors from around the world—stories that have made Galveston one of the top five most haunted cities in America. And no one tells those stories better than Historic Galveston Ghost Tours and their pro guide, Tyler, recently named Best Tour Guide in Galveston and one of the Best Tour Guides in Texas by Texas Monthly.
Tyler didn’t come to the job as a believer. A Pittsburgh native who moved to the island over 20 years ago, he began guiding tours about five years back, driven by a love for history. His turning point came during an after hours trip to the “Demon House,” also known as the Normandy Inn. While retrieving a forgotten wallet from the boarded up building, something unseen grabbed his ear and yanked his head back. “I literally looked down the stairs to run—there was nothing there,” he recalls. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
Today, Tyler leads a variety of 90 minute walking tours through Galveston’s most storied districts. The Historic Galveston Ghost Tour, set in the elegant yet eerie Silk Stocking District, blends Victorian architecture with tales of tragedy, murder, and restless spirits. For those craving something even grittier, the Red Light District Tour pulls back the curtain on “The Line,” where prostitution flourished for over 70 years. Meanwhile, the Old City Cemetery Tour guides guests through the oldest and largest burial ground on the island, beginning with its first grave in the 1860s. Tyler’s Ghost on the Strand walk explores one of the most haunted streets in America, where buildings that survived the Great Storm still echo with loss. There’s even a Dark of the Moon combo tour, weaving together the Strand’s hauntings with the vice soaked history of the Red Light District, and a Haunted Pub Crawl for those who like their scares served with spirits of a different kind. And for visitors who prefer history without the ghosts, Tyler and his team offer daytime walking history tours that are every bit as engaging—minus the paranormal.
Whether it’s thrill seekers hoping for a scare, history buffs wanting a deeper look into the island’s past, or skeptics dragged along by ghost loving friends, Tyler brings them all in. His personal mission? To turn even the most reluctant guest into someone laughing, learning, and maybe—just maybe—looking over their shoulder by the tour’s end.
PEOPLE OF GALVESTON
Have you experienced the "unexplained on the island"?
ROBBIN MARTIN
While staying at the Galvez for our anniversary, we heard whispers, saw a faucet turn by itself, and felt watched—an eerie experience we’d never had in our previous visits.
Growing up, our island home felt haunted. Cold chills, sudden headaches, whispers, and eerie laughter at night made us uneasy, especially when alone. Even our dog seemed spooked by unseen forces.
I moved to Galveston a year ago, opened my shop in the historic Hutchings Sealy building, and began experiencing paranormal activity, especially a mysterious antique mirror that moved on its own.
After biking through Galveston cemeteries at night, a child spirit followed me home until I returned it to the cemetery with a penny.
texaS’ LEADING DARK tourism destination
#1 Tour in Galveston locally owned & operated
HISTORIC GHOST TOUR
SPOOKY STRAND TOUR
RED LIGHT DISTRICT
OLD CITY CEMETERY TOUR
HAUNTED PUB CRAWL
HISTORY TOUR (NO GHOSTS) BOOK YOUR TOUR NOW. SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARN MORE!
