New Book by Galveston Historical Foundation and Arcadia Press Recalls the Worst Storm in U.S. History

Galveston: A City on Stilts, a new book by Galveston Historical Foundation curators Jodi Wright-Gidley and Jennifer Marines, is the story of the city's reconstruction after the Great Storm of September 8, 1900, a hurricane that killed 6,000 people and remains the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.  The book, scheduled for release nationwide on October 27, 2008, contains 200 vintage photographs from the Zeva B. Edworthy collection that document the rebuilding of the port city and life around Galveston in the early 1900s.

The book's title comes from an exhibit of the same name that was held in 2007 at the Galveston County Historical Museum and curated by Wright-Gidley and Marines. The exhibit was the most popular ever held at the museum.

All publisher profits will be donated to Galveston Historical Foundation to support their historic preservation and community service efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ike.

Galveston has one of the largest collections of restored 19th-century iron-front commercial buildings in the country. The downtown Strand National Historic Landmark District and the residential East End Historic Landmark District comprise the largest federally recognized historic landmark district area in the state of Texas. During Hurricane Ike, this area was severely affected, flooding by as much as 12 feet. Galveston Historical Foundation is now working with business owners, homeowners, city leaders, national foundations and federal agencies to rebuild historic Galveston once again.

The authors will participate in book signings throughout the Galveston/Houston metropolitan region during October, November, and December, including Galveston festivals Dickens on The Strand and the Lone Star Biker Rally in December.

Once the crown jewel of the Gulf Coast, Galveston was known as a cultural and economic mecca, including a major seaport for shipping cotton. With 16 foreign consulates and several millionaires' mansions, Galveston was completely unprepared for the storm that lay ahead of it in September, 1900. Despite the still unmatched tragedy, Galvestonians were determined to rebuild their city. And now, 108 years later, they're doing it again.

Autographed copies of A City on Stilts are available for sale through Galveston Historical Foundation for $26.99. To order your copy, signed by authors Jodi Wright-Gidley and Jennifer Marines, call GHF at 409-765-7834.