"A City on Stilts: Galveston, 1902-1912," an Exhibit of Early 20th-Century Galveston Photographs and Artifacts, Runs at Galveston County Historical Museum through September 30

The Galveston County Historical Museum opened an exhibit entitled “A City on Stilts: Galveston, 1902-1912” on June 9. The exhibit runs through September 30. The museum is located at 2219 Market Street.

The exhibit features the photography of Zeva Bradshaw Edworthy (1883-1954). This Kansas native came to Galveston in 1904, at the height of the city’s rebuilding period following the 1900 storm. The images show everyday street scenes, people swimming and visiting amusement parks, and the rebuilding efforts going on throughout the city.

“To supplement the understanding of the period, artifacts are on exhibit, including seawall plans, causeway plans, clothing and household items,” says Jodi Wright-Gidley, director of the Galveston County Historical Museum. “Visitors will get a full experience of what life was like in Galveston in the first decade of the 20th century. This was a remarkable period of perseverance and change.”

The hurricane that practically destroyed Galveston in 1900 remains the worst natural disaster in U. S. history to this day. Despite the massive tragedy, there was a strong determination among many Galvestonians to stay, rebuild, and fight back.

During this period, people throughout the world were turning to technology to solve problems. Galveston’s citizens, whose island city had been decimated by the 1900 storm, determined that technological ingenuity could prevent such disasters in the future. Full of the unfettered confidence of the era, the people of Galveston undertook one of the most impressive engineering feats ever attempted. They made a plan to control nature by building a 17-foot wall against the sea and raising the ground level of the city. These projects were in progress when Edworthy photographed the island. During this time the city constructed boardwalks to allow people to get around the city, which provided the nickname, “a city on stilts.”

“Residents in this period were dealing with loss and the hardships of daily living,” said Curator Jennifer Marines, “Despite everything, these photographs show people swimming at the beach and riding on ferris wheels. It is a fine example of the human spirit.”

Edworthy, also a boating enthusiast, worked in Galveston until 1908. He then traveled the United States and eventually married Cleo Christine Mancill of Cisco, Texas. He later became a minister, retiring from the West Virginia Council of Churches in 1952. Edworthy’s daughter, Judith Wray, inherited her father’s photographs and donated them to the Galveston County Historical Museum in 2006.

The Galveston County Historical Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. After Memorial Day, the hours are extended until 5 p.m. For more information, contact Jodi Wright-Gidley at 409-766-2340.