Claim OwnershipGalveston Unscripted | VisitGalveston.com
Subscribed: 6Played: 73
Subscribe
© 2025 Galveston Unscripted | Unscripted Experience LLC
Description
Galveston Unscripted is your podcast and audio tour for Galveston Island! Galveston Unscripted is transforming Galveston into the worlds largest free museum! Galveston, Texas is home some of Texas' most significant people, places, and historical events, and hundreds of Texas historical markers and locations!Join Galveston Unscripted and VisitGalveston.com in exploring Galveston Island's history and culture to discover what makes Galveston Island one of a kind!
149 Episodes
Reverse
Two concrete tankers, the SS Selma and SS Durham, turn a wartime shortcut into coastal legend. We trace how steel shortages sparked bold builds, why those ships failed at sea, and how their wrecks still shape fishing, folklore, and engineering lessons. • concrete ship origins during WWI steel shortage • how reinforced concrete hulls promised speed and savings • the Selma’s specs, accident, failed repairs, and scuttling • the wreck as reef, prohibition liquor smash, local lore • Frenchy LeBla...
A vivid portrait of Betty Brown emerges: a bold Galveston socialite who turned privilege into service, steered a women’s home with hands-on grit, and shaped civic life before and after the 1900 storm. We trace the woman behind the legend, separating folklore from the record while honoring the force of her will. • family roots, Ashton Villa, and early wealth • European art study and expanding worldview • public image, gossip, and social daring • the 1900 hurricane and relief efforts • leaders...
Two Galveston originals reshaped American rhythm and blues: Camille Howard with boogie-woogie fire and Esther Phillips with a deep, briny voice that bent genres. We trace their arcs from island roots to national stages, through reinvention, withdrawal, and lasting legacy. • R&B’s rise • Camille Howard’s piano power and Los Angeles breakthrough • partnership with Roy Milton and Specialty Records era • hits, changing industry, and a faith-led exit from the spotlight • Esther Phillips’ earl...
We trace Dr. Charlotte Schaefer’s path from standout UTMB student to Texas trailblazer in public health, teaching, and women-led enterprise. A hookworm breakthrough, a sister-run pharmacy, and a fierce respect for detail show how small choices shape big outcomes. • UTMB’s early years and the barrier for women • why “M. Charlotte” matters for historical research • the 1901 hookworm identification and public health impact • becoming UTMB’s first female faculty and later full ...
A neglected marsh evolved into Galveston’s hidden engine, from a Civil War battery and a quarantine station for immigrants to a WWII shipyard hub and a maritime university that shapes ocean careers. We trace how silt, storms, and bold engineering turned two spits into a platform for ships, study, and memory. • fragile marshlands • early maps showing two separate spits • Civil War fortifications guarding the channel • post‑1900 hurricane dredging and grade raising • quarantine and immigration...
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, just 30 miles north of Galveston Island, has been at the heart of American space exploration for more than six decades. This connection has created a unique relationship between coastal living and cosmic discovery, with astronauts living and working on the island and NASA collaborating with local institutions on innovative projects. • NASA established the Johnson Space Center near Galveston in 1964 after a national search for ideal conditions • President K...
Galveston's historic hotels tell the story of an island that has weathered economic shifts, natural disasters, and cultural transformations over two centuries. The Tremont House and Hotel Galvez stand as living monuments to Galveston's resilience, from hosting presidents and even playing crucial roles in the city's development from the Republic of Texas era to today. • The first Tremont House opened in 1839 during the Republic of Texas, serving as Galveston's social and political hub • Sam H...
Galveston's longshoremen, both Black and white, fought against exploitation and dangerous working conditions in one of America's most important port cities, culminating in violent strikes and an unprecedented five-month military occupation. • Cotton was king and Galveston was Texas' gateway to the world in the mid-19th century • Longshoremen and screwmen performed grueling, dangerous work loading ships for minimal pay • Unusual interracial cooperation between segregated unions challenged Jim...
Galveston's beer history spans from homemade frontier brews to today's thriving craft scene. The island's unique position as Texas' busiest port shaped its drinking culture through imported tastes and traditions. • Early Americans brewed beer at home using local ingredients like corn • German immigrants brought lager brewing techniques requiring cold storage • Ice was shipped from New England to Galveston in the 1860s before local production • Ice houses evolved from storage facilities into ...
We explore the surprising maritime history of Texas cowboys who swam thousands of cattle across open saltwater to reach Galveston Island's rich grazing lands. This forgotten chapter reveals how the Texas Gulf Coast played a vital role in building the cattle economy that helped shape the state. • Spanish and Mexican vaqueros created the original cowboy techniques that would become the foundation of Texas ranching culture • Galveston Island's salt-tolerant grasses made it ideal winter pasture,...
Samuel Collins III shares the untold story of Juneteenth, revealing how United States Colored Troops played a crucial but largely erased role in bringing freedom to Texas. He challenges common misconceptions and illuminates how Galveston's Black community grew after emancipation, creating businesses, schools, and generational legacies. • The news of freedom wasn't actually late to Galveston but arrived as early as fall 1862 when Union forces first controlled the island • United States Colore...
The history of the Port of Galveston spans 200 years, from a sandbar with a safe natural harbor to becoming America's fourth busiest cruise port today, earning its place as Texas' oldest working port despite hurricanes, wars, and economic challenges. Galveston Unscripted on video! What is Galveston Unscripted? Follow Galveston Unscripted on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! More history content on Visit Galveston!
Two Sicilian barbers built an empire of vice, transforming Galveston into the "Free State" where prohibition laws and moral restrictions held no power for decades. • Texas and national prohibition in the 1920s created a black market for liquor, gambling and prostitution • Galveston's position on the Gulf of Mexico made it ideal for smuggling and vice operations • Sicilian immigrants Rose and Sam Maceo rose from barbers to powerful underworld figures • The Hollywood Dinner Club (1926) and Bal...
Dr. Hal Needham, known as Hurricane Hal, shares his expertise on coastal ecosystems, weather patterns, and beach safety for visitors to Galveston Island. From explaining the science behind changing water colors to offering practical safety advice, Dr. Needham provides valuable insights for enjoying Gulf Coast beaches safely and appreciating their natural dynamics. • Natural sargassum seaweed plays crucial role in marine ecosystems and helps build beaches by capturing sand • Galveston's water...
The diamond-shaped plaques scattered throughout Galveston Island mark buildings that survived the devastating 1900 hurricane, America's deadliest natural disaster with up to 12,000 lives lost. These small markers represent structures that withstood catastrophic winds and flooding, serving as reminders of Galveston's remarkable resilience and recovery. • Before 1900, Galveston was the "Wall Street of the Southwest" with numerous Texas firsts: post office, opera house, telephone, electric ligh...
Galveston Island has created its own unique surf culture, embracing the Gulf's inconsistent waves and even finding creative alternatives like tanker surfing. What started with lifeguards using rescue boards has evolved into a thriving community that values connection, rhythm, and the joy of riding waves on their own terms. • Over 30 miles of beaches have attracted visitors to Galveston for more than a century • Legendary lifeguard Leroy Colombo, deaf since childhood, saved over 900 lives and...
Galveston Island's rich musical heritage produced three extraordinary African-American musicians who carried their island-inspired sounds to the world stage. Frederick Tillis, Louis "Blues Boy" Jones, and Richard "Notes" Williams all grew up in 1930s and 40s Galveston, where music spilled from dance halls, churches, and pavilions, shaping their musical identities before they ventured beyond the Gulf Coast. • Frederick "Baby" Tillis (1930-2020) began performing at age 12, earned a PhD in musi...
2025 marks the 160th year of Juneteenth, a powerful reminder of the day in 1865 when freedom finally reached the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth began on June 19, 1865, when Union forces arrived in Galveston, Texas, delivering General Order No. 3 which freed approximately 250,000 enslaved people. This historic moment occurred two and a half years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and over two months after the Civ...
Mike Miller, director of the Rosenberg Library, shares the fascinating 150-year evolution of one of Texas's oldest public libraries and how it became Galveston's premier historical research institution. The Rosenberg Library stands as a unique cultural cornerstone housing all four GLAM components—Gallery, Library, Archive, and Museum—preserving irreplaceable Texas history dating back to the early 1700s. • Founded through Henry Rosenberg's will in 1893, with $600,000 (millions in today's doll...
A World War II Marine from Galveston, First Lieutenant Justin G. Mills, was identified 77 years after his death in the Battle of Tarawa. His remains were recovered through collaborative efforts between the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and History Flight Galveston Unscripted on video! What is Galveston Unscripted? Follow Galveston Unscripted on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! More history content on Visit Galveston!
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States