Galveston Monthly - Exploring Your Island Paradise

This Month

The Masonic Temple

Some of Galveston’s most meaningful history can be found not only in the buildings that remain, but also in the ones that have disappeared. The origins of the Masonic Fraternity may be debated by historians, but its connection to Galveston’s earliest years is unmistakable. Samuel May Williams - a Mason and close business associate of Stephen F. Austin - was among the founders of the Galveston City Company in 1838. Soon after the city received its charter, Williams and several other Master Masons petitioned for a dispensation to form a lodge.

The Gill-League Building

Known today as the Gill-League Building, a substantial three-story structure once stood on the southeast corner of 21st and Market for eighty-one years. Its upper floors housed a steady rotation of apartment residents, while the street level offered a changing lineup of local businesses - shoe stores, barbershops, restaurants, seamstresses, beer parlors, and eventually even a lawyer’s office and a popcorn stand. Although the building was ultimately demolished in the name of progress, it left behind a long trail of stories. The people who lived and...

Lost Castle

Among the most striking island mansions lost to time is the Marwitz House - still known to many Galvestonians as the “Old Castle.” Once standing on the southwest corner of Twenty-second Street and Avenue H (Ball), across from Eaton Chapel, the residence was built between 1890 and 1894 and ultimately brought about a reversal of fortune for its creator. Herman Marwitz, one of the city’s wealthiest businessmen of the era, purchased the lot, demolished the existing 1840s structure, and set out to build a home that reflected his rising success.

Treasures From The Deep

I’ve been an advocate for Great White sharks for most of my life, long before I ever lived near the ocean. I’ve always felt they got an unfair reputation, especially after the movie Jaws premiered in 1975 and convinced an entire generation that these animals were something to fear. The film sparked decades of misunderstanding, and for a time it even fueled efforts to kill Great Whites rather than protect them.

Let Island Set Rules

The trellis arrives looking like a promise. Pale cedar, neatly latticed, offering just enough enclosure to suggest privacy without shutting anything out. It’s the kind of piece that makes you think - briefly - that you can recreate the photograph on the box: cascading roses, lush and romantic, climbing as if they’ve always belonged there. You can’t. Not here. Not in Galveston. That isn’t a failure of the gardener; it’s a misunderstanding of the place.

Galvez Mall

For more than three decades, the Galvez Mall stood at the busy gateway to Galveston, greeting island visitors as they arrived via 61st Street and Broadway. When it opened in the early 1970s, the mall promised modern convenience, air-conditioned comfort, and a full lineup of national retailers - something the island had never seen before. Anchored by Sears on one end and Eiband’s on the other, the Galvez Mall quickly became a ...

From Pier 21 to New York Harbor, the 1877 tall ship prepares for a 2,500 mile voyage for America’s 250th anniversary

Placeholder image She has never slipped quietly into history. Even at rest along Pier 21, the 1877 tall ship Elissa seems alive - rigging humming in the Gulf wind, iron hull holding the memory of oceans far beyond Galveston.

She is not a replica, nor a museum piece meant to sit still. She is a survivor. And in the summer of 2026, she will do what she was built to do: sail.

For the first time in decades, Elissa will leave the familiar rhythm of Galveston Harbor and embark on a three-month, 2,500-mile voyage north as part of Sail250 - a global gathering of tall ships and military vessels marking the United States’ 250th anniversary.

When she reaches New York Harbor for the Fourth of July celebration, she will arrive not as a curiosity, but as the oldest vessel in the flotilla.

Secrets of Galveston, Uncovered

Shhhh… some of Galveston’s best-kept secrets are about to be revealed. In Secret Galveston: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, authors Christine Hopkins and Heidi Lutz shine a light on the island’s hidden corners - the stories, places, and curiosities even longtime locals may have missed.

Their new book gathers favorite haunts and little-known gems from across the island, and you won’t want to be the only one who isn’t “in the know.”

Secret Galveston marks the duo’s second collaboration, following the 2020 release of 100 Things to Do in Galveston Before You Die. Hopkins has promoted Galveston for more than 30 years, hosted several island video series, and serves as co-host and producer of Galveston County Museum’s Unboxing History.

Lutz is an award-winning writer and designer whose career has included reporting, editing, publicity, blogging, tour guiding, and deep community involvement.

Home & Garden
Enjoy inspirational interiors, decorating and gardens from those that help shape Galveston Island style.

Food & Drink

Where to find lunch, brunch, dinner covering casual to fine dining. These places are not afraid to try new things. Hope you're hungry.

Arts & Culture

Beaches aren't all Galveston has to offer. Local theater productions, contemporary art exhibits and other family events that always inspires.