History of the Galveston Seawall

   On this day in 1902, construction began on the Galveston Seawall. It had been two years since the Great Storm of 1900 had hit the bustling seaport of Galveston, Texas. The massive hurricane hit a town unaware and killed as many as 8000 people(or many more, they had no way to know for sure). It is still not just the deadliest hurricane, but the deadliest natural disaster to ever hit the United States.

   Above is the memorial to those lost in that hurricane in 1900. Before the hurricane, Galveston was a major seaport. The devastation caused attention to move north to Houston, with the Ship Channel being built a few years later. Galveston did rebuild though, and they decided they needed protection. On this day, nearly two years to the day, of the storm, construction began. Not only was a seawall being built, but the whole level of the island was raised. The few buildings that had survived were lifted, some as much as 17 feet.
   The initial section of the seawall was only 3 miles long, completed on July 29, 1904. Over the years it was been lengthened to its current 10 miles long, the last stretch being finished in 1963. It has done its duty, protecting Galveston from many hurricanes over the years, including Alicia in 1983 and Ike in 2008.
   The Galveston Seawall is on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as being named a National Civil Engineering Landmark.