On Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, Galveston County Historical Museum will host an Immigration Information Day. Members of the community are invited to share their families’ stories, photographs, and artifacts. Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) is gathering this information for future programs and exhibits.
"This project launches an initiative by Galveston Historical Foundation to tell visitors about the important role the island played in our national immigration,” said Dwayne Jones, GHF executive director. “We hope to develop some contacts that might enhance the collections and exhibits at the Galveston County Historical Museum as well as the Texas Seaport Museum and other local historical venues. This is a very rich history about Galveston and Texas that needs to be told through our personal family stories."
Between 1906 and 1914, about 50,000 immigrants arrived in Galveston. Many were Germans, Czechs and Jews, although numerous other nationalities were also represented. While most immigrants moved to other parts of Texas and the Southwest, some remained in town to settle and establish businesses. Galveston became known as the second Ellis Island.
Some immigrants arrived with the support of the Jewish Immigrants’ Information Bureau and the Methodist Immigration Information Bureau. A large number of immigrants arriving in Galveston from 1907 to 1914 came as part of the Galveston Movement (also known as the Galveston Plan) organized to help Jews flee from Eastern Europe, especially Russia.
In spring 1907, the Jewish Immigrants’ Information Bureau opened under the direction of local rabbi Henry Cohen. About 10,000 immigrants came to the U.S. through Galveston as a part of this program. After a medical exam and baggage inspection at the port, Jewish immigrants were loaded onto wagons and taken to the Information Bureau. There they were given a meal and had the opportunity to bathe, write letters, and read Yiddish newspapers. They received their railroad tickets and food for the trip that took them to their final destinations. Typically, employment had been pre-arranged in towns throughout the western United States. By 1914, the outbreak of war in Europe restricted all immigration into the United States.
“We are actively collecting artifacts and photographs for our museum collection,” says Jodi Wright-Gidley, director of the Galveston County Historical Museum. “However, we also understand that some people may not wish to donate their treasured family heirlooms just yet. In that case, we would like permission to record their stories, as well as scan or photograph related artifacts. They will receive full credit for their generosity. Our goal is to gather information about the immigrants who came through Galveston, so that we can understand and tell their stories through educational programs and exhibits.”
Anyone who is not able to come to the scheduled Immigration Information Day may call to make an appointment to meet with museum staff at a later date to share information. There will be permission forms to sign in order for the museum to scan, utilize, and credit an image.
About Galveston County Historical Museum
Galveston County Historical Museum is a joint project of Galveston County Commissioners Court and Galveston Historical Foundation. It is housed in the Corinthian-columned, vaulted-ceilinged 1921 City National Bank Building at 2219 Market Street. Permanent exhibits include the lens from the historic South Jetty Lighthouse, Thomas Edison’s early motion picture footage of the Great Storm of 1900, and a display of artifacts from the native Karankawa tribe. Admission is free and open to the public. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information about special exhibits and group tours, contact the museum at 409-766-2340.