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Pier 21 Theater: The Great Storm
On September 8, 1900, a hurricane struck Galveston. Winds estimated at 140 miles per hour swept through the city and left devastation in their wake. Galveston Island, which at its highest point was only 8.7 feet above sea level, was struck by a 15.7-foot storm surge. After the wind driven waters subsided, Galvestonians left their shelters to find 6,000 of the city’s 37,000 residents dead and more than 3,600 buildings totally destroyed. The 1900 Storm is still considered the deadliest natural disaster in United States history.
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SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH
13th Street & Broadway, heavily damaged by The 1900 Storm
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 The guided tour of Ashton Villa now highlights the mansion’s connections to the 1900 Storm and its aftermath. Visitors will learn about the storm itself and the Brown family’s role during and after the storm. Bettie Brown, the daughter of the house’s builder, J. M. Brown, was an active member of the Women’s Health Protective Association. The WHPA undertook a variety of tasks after the storm, including reburying the dead, distributing relief supplies, and the beautification of the city.
 See The Great Storm at Pier 21
For more information, please contact
GALVESTON HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
at 409-765-7834, or at foundation@galvestonhistory.org.
1900 Storm Internet Resources
Although data on the hurricane that struck Galveston in 1900 appears at many places on the Internet, these two sites provide the most historical information [these external sites will open in separate browser windows]:
http://www.1900storm.com
The Galveston County Daily News maintains this site for the city’s 1900 Storm Committee. It includes current information about activities and events connected with the hundredth anniversary of the storm as well as photographic images and a discussion forum. Rare moving picture film shot by an employee of Thomas Edison on September 25, 1900 can be viewed on this site.
http://www.rosenberg-library.org
The Galveston and Texas History Center of the Rosenberg Library, located in Galveston, houses the richest collection of historical materials on the 1900 Storm available anywhere. Their site includes FAQs, the full text of Isaac Cline’s report to the National Weather Service after the storm, and a list of victims who died in the storm. To get to the 1900 Storm portion of the library’s web site, choose the Galveston and Texas History Center from the first menu and 1900 Storm from the history center’s menu.
"The Pirate Island of Jean Laffite"
1900 Great Storm Theater
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