Most little boys dream of adventure - becoming a policeman, a star athlete, racing motorcycles, fighting fires, or simply being a hero. One immigrant found all that excitement, and more, in Galveston during the early 1900s.
Born in 1884 in Yugoslavia, John Nicholas Antichevich spent his youth on his family's farm, dreaming of a more adventurous life. He immigrated to the United States in 1898, arriving at Ellis Island as a teenager before soon making his way to Galveston.
What he did during those first few years remains unclear, lost to time - but before long, Antichevich found his calling and stepped into the public eye.
Antichevich served with the Galveston Fire Department from 1906 to 1912, assigned to Hose Companies Nos. 2 and 3. Local newspapers often recounted his daring rescues and efforts to protect lives and property.
After a devastating fire left only the precarious front walls of a multi-story building standing, officials deemed the masonry too dangerous for firefighters and passersby. Antichevich climbed the fire ladder extension, edged out onto the narrow, swaying column, and fastened a rope around the unstable debris.
As anxious spectators watched him return to the ground, a crowd of 200 men and boys took hold of the rope and pulled the wall down. It was the first of many acts of courage that earned him public admiration.
On a cold December day in 1909, Antichevich and another fireman carried a hose up a ladder to battle flames engulfing the front of the Trube Building on Market Street. Around the corner, out of sight, the steamer truck began pumping water with tremendous pressure, making the hose difficult to manage.
Antichevich’s partner descended the ladder to alert the crew, but before he could reach them, the hose slipped from Antichevich’s grip and whipped through the air, threatening to strike him.
Desperately trying to regain control, Antichevich reached for the hose - but witnesses agreed that had he succeeded, the force would likely have thrown him from the rooftop.
The hose spun out of control, shattering plate glass windows, soaking onlookers, and eventually knocking down the ladder. Trapped on the roof near the flames and cut off from escape, he ran across the top of the building and reached a second ladder to make his daring descent.
Antichevich’s daring feats made him a local hero, and his brown-eyed, dark-haired good looks earned him a reputation as a ladies’ man. Though he never married, surviving family members often joked that with all his island escapades, there were likely a few unknown offspring roaming Galveston.
His physical strength extended well beyond firefighting heroics. He gained recognition as a formidable heavyweight wrestler, taking on amateurs and seasoned professionals from across the region.
With theatrical flair, he posted public challenges in Galveston newspapers, drawing crowds to matches held in local venues including exhibition bouts at the Galveston Opera House.
Antichevich’s wrestling résumé included a bout with world champion Frank Gotch, and victories over Kid Smith and Minnesota heavyweight champion Chris Person. He even starred in what local papers hailed as “the greatest wrestling match ever seen in Beaumont.”
His prowess in the ring earned him a silver medal from the Southern Association of the Amateur Athletic Union, cementing his status as both a local legend and a serious competitor.
The agile fireman was more than a hero - he was an athlete. Antichevich competed in Galveston’s “near marathon,” an event spanning Seventeenth to Twenty-second Streets that combined water sports with a three-mile run. Known as one of the city’s top sprinters, he also set two local shot put records.
After leaving the fire department, he shifted gears and served as a wharf policeman for two years. His feats continued to make headlines: putting down a rabid dog that terrorized a neighborhood and uncovering an escaped prisoner hiding in a bunk aboard an empty ship.
After so much excitement and public service, Antichevich ventured into business, opening an ice company at 1208 Avenue K. But within a year, the lure of adventure - or perhaps the challenges of entrepreneurship - led him back to the police force.
By March of 1917, tensions abroad were escalating, and Officer Antichevich found himself drawn once again into international affairs. After the seizure of two Austrian steamers, government officials needed an interpreter to escort thirteen sailors from Galveston to New Orleans - and Antichevich stepped in.
While in New Orleans, he took time to visit fellow Galvestonians serving in the maritime militia stationed at the local barracks. When the U.S. officially entered World War I, his service continued in a new form: working as a blacksmith’s helper at McDonough Iron Works, a ship-repair operation vital to the wartime port.
But despite his contributions, Antichevich's most enduring claim to fame was just around the corner.
In 1920, Antichevich once again made headlines - this time as Galveston’s first motorcycle cop. His Indian motorcycle, rumored to top 80 miles per hour, wasn’t just for patrol; he famously joined the popular beach races, turning law enforcement into spectacle.
This new style of solo policing demanded quick thinking. One day, after arresting a man on his rounds, he was faced with a challenge: how to get his prisoner to jail on a motorcycle.
Thinking fast, he cuffed the man’s hands around his own waist and seated him on the rear of the bike. The ride back to the station turned plenty of heads and added yet another colorful chapter to his growing legend.
By 1922, Antichevich felt compelled to return to his homeland and reunite with family. Having left during wartime under the pretense of a quick return, he was understandably uneasy about how he’d be received. But the welcome was warm, and he spent seven months touring southeastern Europe, reconnecting with his roots.
Back in Galveston, his growing reputation hadn't waned - in fact, it caught the attention of federal agents, who enlisted him to assist in local Prohibition raids, adding yet another chapter to his eventful career.
But Antichevich wasn’t always the stern enforcer. He often showed compassion, offering warnings in place of tickets and letting a poor judgment slide when he saw a chance to teach rather than punish.
His softer side was captured in a heartfelt letter from a young runaway boy from Tyler, Texas. After Antichevich found him on the streets, he took the boy to a restaurant, bought him a meal, and offered quiet, thoughtful advice.
The boy later wrote to thank him for “being the best policeman he ever met,” and shared that “his mother was relieved and appreciative that he was back in school.”
After his years in law enforcement, Antichevich transitioned to quieter civic service, joining the City of Galveston Water Department, where he worked until 1944. He also stepped back into blacksmithing during World War II, lending his skills to the wartime effort once again.
That same year, ready to ease into a simpler pace, he accepted a maintenance position at St. Mary’s Orphanage - on the grounds where Galveston College now stands. Beloved by the nuns and children alike, Antichevich remained there until his passing, closing out a life marked by courage, compassion, and community.
John Antichevich, celebrated as a local hero and proud member of the Knights of Columbus and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, passed away on June 16, 1956, after a brief illness at St. Mary’s Infirmary. He was laid to rest in Galveston’s Old Catholic Cemetery on Broadway.
For years after, stories of his remarkable life echoed through the community - his adventurous spirit and acts of kindness becoming part of Galveston’s living memory and vibrant past.