Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America through Galveston Island
Open Daily 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Last entry 5 p.m.)
The traveling exhibit Forgotten Gateway chronicles the Port of Galveston’s largely forgotten history as a major gateway to American immigration from 1845 to 1924. Forgotten Gateway builds on a growing scholarly and public interest in the history of migration patterns to America and Galveston’s place as one of the nation’s top immigrant ports in that history.
This exhibit is the first of its kind to explore Galveston’s legacy as a port of entry on a national scale. It will bring to light the little-known yet rich era of Galveston’s history and just how important it was to the growth of Texas and the American Midwest.
Long before Ellis Island processed its first immigrant, Galveston was a port of entry for hundreds of thousands of immigrants. While the New York counterpart made it a natural port for Europeans, Galveston attracted a diverse group of people from Europe, Mexico, South and Central America and even Asia. In addition, before the Civil War, it was a major port for forced migration – the sale and transport of slaves from Africa and other points in the United States to Texas.
The exhibit highlights enduring humanities themes in the history of immigration including: the dangers of the journey; making a life in a new land; navigating bureaucracy; confronting discrimination; and becoming “American.” These trials and tribulations are illuminated through personal stories, dynamic visitor interactive kiosks, engaging media pieces, and more than 200 original artifacts and documents. The exhibit originated from a comment a 10th-grader made on a heritage trip to Ellis Island. “Why do we need to go to New York,” asked the student. “My grandparents came through Galveston.”
Watch Videos
Exhibit Curator Suzanne Seriff, Ph. D.
Descendant Peter Rygaard
Descendant LaWanda Buttner
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Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island and its tour are organized by The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: great idea brought to life.
