June 29, 2005
Contact: Molly Dannenmaier, 409- 765-7834
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonhistory.org

[Not for Release in 2007]

1877 Elissa Named Official Tall Ship of Texas

Texas Governor Rick Perry Signs Resolution June 18, 2005

Elissa, the jewel of Galveston Harbor and the most daunting restoration project ever undertaken by Galveston Historical Foundation, has just been named the Official Tall Ship of Texas. The resolution, HCR 117, authored by Representative Craig Eiland and carried by Senator Mike Jackson, passed both houses of the Texas legislature in May and was signed by Governor Rick Perry on June 18, 2005.

As one of only four pre-20th-century tall ships in the United States that has been restored to full sailing capacity, Elissa has already been declared a National Historic Landmark and one of America’s Treasures by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“Elissa embodies a history that extends far beyond Galveston Island,” said the Reverend Ron Pogue, rector of Galveston’s Trinity Episcopal Church and chairman of the Galveston Historical Foundation’s Public Policy Committee. “Elissa has great national and even international significance,” said Pogue, whose committee spearheaded the effort to achieve statewide recognition for the restored square-rigger.

Elissa is hailed as a world-wide benchmark for other ship restorations according to Peter Stanford, president emeritus of the National Maritime Historical Society. “Indeed, the restoration of this graceful barque of 1877 is reckoned by many to be the finest restoration of an active sailing ship extant,” said Stanford.

Pogue says the reason the historical foundation sought the Official Tall Ship designation for Elissa was to spread her story beyond the local community—where the volunteers who serve on the ship’s crew hold an almost mystical reverence for her.

“The development of the deep water port in Galveston and the railroad lines running from it throughout Texas are significant aspects of the history of this state,” said Pogue. “Elissa is a powerful symbol of that time. We hope that the Official Tall Ship of Texas Designation will help educate all the people of Texas about the important role Galveston’s maritime history played in the development of the state and the American West.”

Built in Scotland in 1877, Elissa was a rusting hulk when she was rescued from a Greek scrap yard by the Galveston Historical Foundation in 1974. The foundation purchased the ship in 1975 and restored her at a cost of nearly $7 million, bringing a vital link to Galveston’s maritime past back to life.

“What better artifact to represent our city than one of the actual vessels that helped to create the commerce that made possible every other built structure in Galveston,” said John Moran, chairman of the Texas Seaport Museum.

“Without the port, Galveston would have remained a sand bar until the 1960s when people began to build second homes on the island,” said Moran. “Without the port, there would have been no Strand, no Victorian neighborhoods, and none of the diverse society that made Galveston so unique.”

Galveston in the age of sail was Texas' busiest and most vital port. The banking and mercantile houses that lined the Strand, Galveston's bustling commercial avenue, were the financial nerve centers of America's southwestern expansion.

Across the city's docks flowed the trade that was the lifeblood of a growing nation. Majestic square-riggers like Elissa carried cotton, hides, sugar, molasses and other agricultural products from young and prosperous Texas to the four corners of the world, and brought in the raw materials, manufactured goods and immigrants for America's explosive growth. Elissa was among the ships that docked in Galveston in the 19th century. She first called in 1883, to deliver a cargo of bananas and loaded cotton for a return trip to England. She docked here again in 1886.

Both Elissa and Galveston fell on lean times after the turn of the century, with Elissa going through a succession of owners who reduced and ultimately eliminated her rigging. A number of factors including the 1900 Storm and the completion of the Houston Ship Channel in 1914 greatly reduced Galveston’s position in Western maritime commerce, eliminating its claim to the title “Wall Street of the West.”

Today, Galveston is experiencing substantial new economic growth based in no small part on restoration efforts spearheaded by the Galveston Historical Foundation over the course of many decades. From the once dilapidated, now revitalized Victorian commercial buildings in the downtown Strand National Historic Landmark District to the refurbished Queen Anne mansions and cottages that fill the oak-canopied East End National Historic Landmark neighborhood, restoration of Galveston’s trove of historic treasures continues unabated. “More and more people from outside the local area are discovering the beauty and significance of historic Galveston,” said Marsh Davis, the historical foundation’s executive director. “Elissa is the crown jewel of all our restoration projects.”

There are two things that set Elissa apart from the very few other restored historic ships that exist in this country, according to Kurt Voss, director of the Texas Seaport Museum. “The most unique aspect of Elissa is that she sails,” said Voss. “Most museum ships do not.”

The only other pre-20th-century tall ships in the U.S. that are restored to sail are the U.S.S. Constitution, moored in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the Star of India, moored in San Diego, and the Gazela, moored in Philadelphia.

According to Voss, Elissa stands apart even from these ships because of her unique sailing program. “Unlike most other such programs, which require a commitment from crew members to be away from home and family for weeks--usually months--at a time, our program is designed to accommodate the real-life needs of our volunteers,” said Voss. “Likewise, we are much more inclusive than the majority of other sailing programs, which are primarily aimed at a much more youthful audience.”

Each year, about 100 volunteers participate in the Seamanship Training Program, working and training onboard the ship about two Saturdays a month from July through March. Anyone aged 16 and over is welcome to join the free program. For those younger than 16, the Texas Seaport Museum offers a special youth seamanship program as well. Those who participate in Elissa’s seamanship training program have the rare opportunity to learn ancient skills and sailing techniques that have become nearly extinct in today’s modern world. As a reward for their many hours of maintenance and preservation of the ship and training in the art of square-rigged sailing, volunteers serve as crew onboard the ship when she sets sail into the Gulf of Mexico each spring. Many other volunteers support the year-round work and programs associated with Elissa and the Texas Seaport Museum and also earn an opportunity to sail during the annual sea trials.

More than 50,000 visitors each year walk the decks of Elissa, visit the exhibits and for a short time experience what life was like sailing in the 18th century. The ship is docked at Pier 21 on the city’s historic waterfront, adjacent to the Texas Seaport Museum. Tours of the Official Tall Ship of Texas are included in the cost of admission to the museum, which is $6 for adults, $4 for students 7-18 and free for children 6 and younger. Museum attractions include a film about Elissa’s rescue and restoration, along with an exhibit on Galveston’s history as “The Ellis Island of the West,” and a computerized immigration database.

Located at Harborside Drive and 21st Street in Galveston, the Texas Seaport Museum, one of 11 historic attractions operated by the Galveston Historical Foundation, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The museum is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days.)

The Galveston Historical Foundation will hold a party on the docks at Pier 21 on October 22 to celebrate Elissa’s new designation as the Official Tall Ship of Texas. For more information, visit the website galvestonhistory.org, or call the Texas Seaport Museum at 409-763-1877 or the Galveston Historical Foundation at 409-765-7834.