Temple B'Nai Israel
3008 Ave. O
Galveston, Texas
409.765.5796
The oldest German Catholic Church in Texas and the oldest wooden church building in Galveston, St. Joseph’s was built by German immigrants in 1859-60. Bishop John Odin, the first Catholic bishop of Texas, recommended a church be built for the German-speaking Catholics of the growing city. The church was dedicated in April 1860, to St. Joseph, the patron saint of laborers.
On January 17, 1892, Bishop N.A.Gallagher dedicated a new structure to the Sacred Heart of our Divine Redeemer. Architect Nicholas Clayton designed the French Romanesque building which was situated at 13th and Broadway, facing south. Extremely ornate, it drew glowing praise from visiting members of the ecclesiastical family. However, the life of this impressive structure was short-lived, and on September 8, 1900, a storm that became the worst natural disaster to ever strike the United States, demolished the building. The destruction was complete except for two stained glass windows, the statue of the Sacred Heart and the Crucifix which remains in the present day church.
The parish family immediately made plans to replace their building. The present structure was designed by a Jesuit brother named Jimenez. The cornerstone was laid on June 21, 1903 by Bishop Gallagher and the church was consecrated on January 17,1904. The 1915 storm destroyed the dome of the church and Nicholas Clayton designed the present onion-shaped protuberence which graces the building today. The statue of the Sacred Heart which survived the 1900 storm was atop this dome until 1948 when once again a storm took its toll and the statue was struck by lightning. The parish ordered the Carrara marble replica of the Christ of the Andes which was placed on the dome in 1950.
The Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is the parent church in Texas of that denomination, which in turn separated from the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In 1848 the split between North and South of several communions, a split exacerbated by the increasing moral debate over slavery, caused the white congregation of Galveston's Methodist Episcopal Church, South, to decide to separate its black and white members.
On March 18, 1848, the property on which the present Reedy Chapel stands was purchased by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Soon the church and parsonage were erected and "given to the Slaves as the Negro Methodist Episcopal Church South."
After the Civil War, the church was reorganized as a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 1885 the structure was destroyed by fire. The replacement church was built the next year under the direction of Rev. J. E. Edwards.
In the early 1900s the church added to its sanctuary an eighteen-foot-tall, Gothic-styled pipe organ, built of ash with carved walnut trim in 1872 by E. and G. G. Hook and Hastings of New York.
Trinity Episcopal Church, founded in 1841 by The Rev. Benjamin Eaton, is part of the Episcopal Church - the American branch of the Church of England. This gothic structure was completed in 1857 and is one of the two oldest churches in Galveston. It has survived numerous hurricanes, yellow-fever epidemics, fire and flood. The 1900 storm severely damaged the south wall. In 1926 the entire structure was raised 4½ feet by hand-operated jacks to the beat of a drum.
The original, handmade pews in earlier times were rented to families to help pay the church expenses. The large columns, not part of the original design, were added to reassure fearful worshipers, but are not structurally necessary. After hurricane Alicia the tie-rods that join the solid masonry walls to prevent outward drift during storms and the copper roof were both replaced identical to the original.
The sanctuary of Trinity church boasts 20 stained glass windows, some priceless, including two made by Tiffany Studios of New York. The great window over the altar depicting Christ as the protector of "the least of these, my brethren" was designed and made by Louis Comfort Tiffany of New York in 1904 in memory of George and Magnolia Sealy and is one of the rarest of its kind due its size, age and the fact that it remained intact and unbroken through many natural disasters. Notable stained glass designers such as McCausland Studios of Toronto, Jacoby of St. Louis, O. Smith Studios of Bryn Athyn and J.R. Lamb of New York also have their windows in our historic sanctuary.
Trinity is also famous for her 69-rank Austin organ. Completed in 1989, the organ was designed by Dr. Robert Baker and built by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut. The pipes, made of various metals and wood, number 4,086. The nationally acclaimed concert organist Ronald Wyatt has been the Director of Music at Trinity for over 30 years and plays every Sunday at the 10:15 a.m. service. In addition, Mr. Wyatt also gives a concert called the Victorian Organ Extravaganza every December during Dickens on the Strand to sold-out audiences. Many say his concert is the highlight of this popular annual event.
On March 18, 1848, the property on which the present Reedy Chapel stands was purchased by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Soon the church and parsonage were erected and "given to the Slaves as the Negro Methodist Episcopal Church South."
After the Civil War, the church was reorganized as a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 1885 the structure was destroyed by fire. The replacement church was built the next year under the direction of Rev. J. E. Edwards.
In the early 1900s the church added to its sanctuary an eighteen-foot-tall, Gothic-styled pipe organ, built of ash with carved walnut trim in 1872 by E. and G. G. Hook and Hastings of New York.
74° P/sunny
