TOUR FEBRUARY 27, 2010
Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) will present the 14th annual
Sacred Places tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 27, 2010.
Cancelled in 2009 because of damages caused by Hurricane Ike, this
year’s event resurrects the beloved tour and features nine historic
places of worship. The popular tour benefits GHF’s ongoing restoration
of St. Joseph’s Church, the oldest wooden church building in Galveston
and the oldest German Catholic church in Texas.
A 9 a.m. lecture at St. Joseph’s by the national organization, Partners
for Sacred Places, begins the day. Partners for Sacred Places is the
only national, non-sectarian, non-profit organization dedicated to the
sound stewardship and active community use of America’s older religious
properties. Partners provides assistance to the people who care for
sacred places while promoting a new understanding of how these places
sustain communities. Partners for Sacred Places is based in
Philadelphia with offices in Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas. The Texas
office has been working with 10 congregations in Galveston that were
harmed by Hurricane Ike, providing damage reports, architectural
assessments and technical assistance since January 2009. Six of those
congregations are included on this year’s tour.
Advance tickets for the tour are $9 and may be purchased online at
http://www.galvestonhistory.org GHF members may purchase tickets for $8 at the
1861 Custom House, 502 20th Street or by calling (409) 765-7834.
Pre-reserved group rates are $8 per person for 20 or more tickets. On
the day of the tour, tickets may be purchase for $10 at St. Joseph’s
Church, 2202 Avenue K.
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. This
year’s sacred places on tour include:
ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH
2202 Avenue K
By the middle of the 19th century, Galveston Island was home to
somewhere between two and three thousand 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.
REEDY CHAPEL, AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
2013 Broadway
In 1848, trustees of Galveston’s Methodist Episcopal Church South
purchased property at Broadway and 20th Street for the purpose of
establishing a church for their slaves. A church building and parsonage
were erected and given to the slaves as the “Negro Methodist Episcopal
Church South”. In 1866, the Negro Methodist Episcopal Church South was
re-organized under the name Reedy Chapel.
GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1115 36th Street
Established as a Sunday School Mission of Trinity Episcopal Church in
1874, Grace became a parish in its own right two years later.
Parishioners originally worshipped in a small frame building. The
present Gothic limestone structure, designed by Nicholas J. Clayton, was
erected in 1895.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
19th Street and Church
Organized in 1840, the original frame structure was replaced by the
current building in 1889. The first major project by Galveston’s famed
architect, Nicholas J. Clayton, the building is considered one of the
finest examples of Norman architecture in the south. The church features
10 stained glass windows, two of which are the work of Tiffany &
Company.
FIRST UNION BAPTIST CHURCH
1027 Avenue K
Founded July 15, 1870 First Union’s original church building, at the
southeast corner of 11th Street and Strand, was destroyed by fire in
1885. The second church building was lost to the 1900 Storm, and the
congregation met in makeshift structures until it was able to rebuild in
1909. The 1909 sanctuary, at 1027 Avenue K, served the congregation
until it was replaced by the current structure in 1955.
TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
701 22nd Street
On February 6, 1841, a small group of worshipers formed Trinity
Episcopal Church, the third oldest Episcopal parish in Texas. The first
church building was destroyed in a storm soon after its construction in
1842. The Gothic Revival structure that stands today was built in 1857.
Trinity is well known for the beautiful stained glass windows, several
of which are the work of Tiffany & Company.
PRIMERA IGLESIA BAUTISTA
5809 Broadway
The oldest Hispanic Baptist church in Galveston, Primera Iglesia
Bautista began as a vision of First Baptist Church members, Sam and
Alice Stovall. The property at 5809 Broadway was offered by First
Baptist in 1948 and a mission established in 1952. The congregation has
occupied the current building since 1982. It is the first church seen
when entering Galveston on Broadway Boulevard.
THE LYCEUM AT FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH
24th and Winnie
In 1854, First Lutheran made arrangements to hold its Sunday services in
Lyceum Hall, located on the corner of Winnie and Bath Avenue (25th
Street). A year later, the church bought the Lyceum building and moved
it to the present church property. In 1868, church members planned the
construction of a sanctuary, which was added to the Lyceum building. The
building has remained a part of the church and is the oldest of the
buildings belonging to First Lutheran.
MOUNT OLIVE BAPTIST CHURCH
3602 Sealy
Mount Olive has occupied the same property since 1876. The original
building was destroyed by the 1900 Storm and replaced with a second
structure in 1922. In the 1960s, under the leadership of Rev. M.C.
Battle, building funds were raised and Houston architect John S. Chase
hired to erect the congregation’s current contemporary sanctuary.
For more information on the 14th Annual Sacred Places tour call (409)
765-7834.
