This July, Galveston celebrated the 120th anniversary of the Seawall. Built to protect the island after the Great Storm of 1900, the Seawall has stood as a symbol of Galveston’s continuous resilience in the face of natural disasters. Our September Treasure of the Month highlights some artifacts in our museum collection related to the Seawall’s construction.
Protecting the City
Galveston was built on a sandbar, one of the many naturally occurring formations that protect the coastline from storms. While many storms swept across the island prior to the 1900 storm, residents felt relatively safe from potential damage, and therefore no infrastructure was built to protect the island. However, after the unprecedented destruction of the 1900 storm, which claimed between 8,000-10,000 lives and millions of dollars in damage, the Texas State Legislature approved the building of a seawall in Galveston to prevent future damage.
From September 1901 to January 1902, a board of three engineers, Brigadier General Henry Martyn Robert, Alfred Noble, and H. C. Ripley, drafted plans for the Seawall and grade raising. Funds for the wall were raised by issuing bonds, as shown by this campaign button from our museum collection.
Building of the initial segment commenced in September 1902. The wall was made of concrete with wooden and steel supports. When completed, this first section was 3.3 miles long, 17 feet high, and measured 16 feet wide at the base and 5 feet wide on top. The outer face was curved to carry waves upwards, redirecting their impact away from the island, and loose stones, or riprap, were placed along the wall’s base to protect the shoreline from erosion.
The Seawall’s structure is illustrated by this wooden model from our museum collection, donated by Brad Robbins. The model was part of his son’s school project "Taking a Stand," which explored Galveston’s response to its environment by building the Seawall. Note the bracing on the seaward face of the model – these wooden supports helped maintain the curved structure of the wall while the concrete was poured. They were later removed after the concrete hardened.
Expanding the Wall
The Seawall faced its first test during the hurricane of September 21, 1909, and again with the hurricane of August 16, 1915. It withstood both, though some repairs needed to be made after the 1915 storm. Overall, though, the Seawall dramatically reduced the damage of previous storms.
Additions continued to be made to the Seawall over the following decades, resulting in a total of five sections, with the last section being completed in 1962. Today, the Seawall measures 54,790 feet and boasts the world’s longest sidewalk, which spans 10 continuous miles. According to a 1968 report, the five sections of the wall cost a total of 14.5 million dollars to build, or about 131 million dollars today.
The Seawall has prevented hundreds of millions of dollars in damage over the course of its existence. In recognition of its historic significance, the Seawall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2001. It has become one of the most iconic landmarks in Galveston and continues to play a key role in keeping the city safe.
The Treasure of the Month is located on the library’s historic second floor near the East Entrance. It can be viewed during regular library hours, 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For museum questions, call 409.763.8854 Ext. 125 or email museum@rosenberg-library.org. For press inquiries, contact the Communications Coordinator.
