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(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Menard House. 1605 33rd Street, Galveston, TX
 
This beautiful home was built in 1838 on the outskirts of the city of Galveston. The site was chosen sold the homeowner could be away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Today the site is in the middle of Galveston, but still a somewhat residential area. For more information , go to Galvestonhistory.org.
 
The house is one of very few structures to have survived the many hurricanes which have hit the island. During the war the home was used as a hospital and is only a few blocks away from a cemetery.

(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Menard House
 
A native of Canada, Michel B. Menard (Dec. 5, 1805 - Sept. 2, 1856) came to Texas in 1829. He lived in Nacogdoches and Liberty before settling in Galveston in 1833. He was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, and later represented Galveston in the Congress of the Republic of Texas. As one of the founders of the Galveston City Company he was instrumental in the development of the island. Menard County was created in 1858 and named in his honor.

(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Back of Menard House

(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Michael Branaman Menard Marker
 
Erected by the state of Texas in 1936 to mark the Centennial of Texas Independence. The marker is just outside the home.

(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Sacred Heart Church Marker

The earliest Catholic services in the Galveston area were conducted in 1838. In 1884, as a result of the church's growth under the direction of such leaders as Bishop J. M. Odin, the Galveston Diocese established Sacred Heart as the fourth church on the island. Services for Sacred Heart Church were held in the St. Mary's University building until 1892, when the parish's first structure was completed. Designed by the noted Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton, it was destroyed in the 1900 hurricane. The present building, the second for the parish, was constructed in 1903-04 during the pastorate of the Rev. D. J. Murphy. A prominent landmark in the city, it features ornate octagonal towers, flying buttresses, elaborate ornamentation, and a variety of arches. The design reflects influences of the Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque styles. The building's original dome, damaged in a 1915 hurricane, was redesigned by Nicholas Clayton. Sacred Heart Church has played a significant role in the growth and development of Galveston. Since the 1880s, many of the city's prominent business, professional, civic and religious leaders have been associated with the parish. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1981.

(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral
 
This structure stands on the site of the original Cathedral which is long since gone. French Roman Catholic priests had great difficulty delivering mass at the church because the roof had been shot up by Union cannons making mass nearly impossible whenever it rained. The current structure, which is located on Broadway, also known as Avenue J, is currently closed due to damages caused by hurricane Ike. This structure is the co-Cathedral for the archdiocese of Galveston Houston.

(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Ashton Villa. 2328 Broadway, Galveston, TX

Mediterranean style architecture. European materials. Confederate and Federal headquarters in Civil War.
 
The building is a three-story brick with a slightly projecting central portico. An added polygonal wing projects from the east side. The roof is very flat and has deep projecting eaves supported by large paired modillion brackets. The original structure' was a large three-story brick block, separated at the rear by a wooden breezeway from a two-story structure on the alley. At some date in the 1890's a large wing was added on the east. Later additions have since been made at the rear. The load bearing brick walls have pilasters at all angles. Upper openings are arcuated; other trabeated.
 
Ashton Villa, the Colonel J. M. Brown House, was built in 1859. Brown, born in New York City in 1821, had been a canal-boat worker on the Erie Canal, and a master brick layer before arriving in Galveston in 1842 or 1843. In Galveston, Brown was engaged in the hardware business and attained great wealth. During the Civil War, the prominent Galvestonian was also president of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railway and Purchasing Agent in Mexico for the Confederate States. Later he was instrumental in the formation of the First National Bank of Galveston and was its president for some years.
 
Information taken from historical marker.

(January 12, 2013) Enlarge Ashton Villa
 
This structure was completed in 1859 and a portion of the home serves as the visitor center. It is the only antebellum structure located on Broadway (Aka Ave J). Broadway is the main street which becomes I-45.