Spirit of Thanksgiving in Galveston: Resilience, rebirth, renewal out of rubble

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

Thanksgiving, and the holiday season in general, can be a sorrowful and lonely time for many, but artists in Galveston and a faith community have a message of hope from small pieces of century-old glass.

This year marked the 125-year anniversary of the Great Storm, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. On Sept. 8, 1900, a hurricane wiped out roughly 21% of Galveston’s population. Survivors faced a desperate situation with no fresh water, a limited food supply and one-third who were left homeless. Many left to never return.

What seemed impossible became possible with help from people from all over the world who donated to recovery efforts. “In the world’s great tragedies, that of Galveston stands remarkable. In no other case in history has a disaster met with such courage and fortitude; in no other case in history were the people of the whole world so responsive to the call for help for the helpless,” JP Bryan, founder of the Bryan Museum, argues.

After the 1900 Storm, part of the island was raised, a seawall was built and residents would withstand another 125 years of storms and hurricanes. One massive hurricane hit on Sept. 13, 2008, forever changing the island. Hurricane Ike’s 110 mph winds and 22-foot-storm surge caused $29.5 billion in property damages and a negative economic impact of more than $142 billion, making it one of the costliest hurricanes in U.S. history.

Unlike the thousands killed in 1900, five were killed on the island during Ike. While nearly all church structures were destroyed in 1900, one church, Trinity Episcopal, sustained limited damage but part of its famous Tiffany-stained glass mural was blown out.

At the turn of the century, several homes and churches showcased Tiffany glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany in New York City. An artist, not a jeweler like his father, he worked with chemist Arthur Nash to create textured glass to look as if it had been painted. He employed many women in the Tiffany Studios of New York, known as the “Tiffany Girls,” who chose glass pieces to create lamps and windows, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston explains.

One of them was Trinity’s Sealy Memorial Window, which remains installed above the altar. It was commissioned by Magnolia Willis Sealy in memory of her husband, George Sealy, a leader of the 1900 Storm rebuilding effort. It depicts Jesus sitting on his throne blessing little children. Underneath, are inscribed his words recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 25:40: “In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Trinity, and its artist partners, have taken the message to heart. They’re using broken pieces of the window to make jewelry and other items designed by modern-day Texas “Tiffany Girls.” Proceeds support disaster relief worldwide through the church’s Phoenix Project. Among the items are jewelry designed by one artist, Karla Mock, who was born and raised on the island (BOI). Mock, who owns and operates K. Mock Design and Mock & More Gallery on Postoffice Street, lost her studio in Ike. She said she “could have quit but I didn’t.” Disasters and setbacks will happen, she says, “but we can always come back from them together.”

Over the years, Pheonix Project proceeds have raised more than $90,000 for disaster impacted communities worldwide, Parish Administrator Kathy VanDewalli told The Center Square.

“Galveston residents have always been resilient following tragedies and disasters; and have always shown compassion to their neighbors both near and far,” she said. “The Phoenix Project embodies that resilience and compassion. Following Hurricane Ike, the Trinity congregation received help to rebuild from other communities; and the Phoenix Project offers us the opportunity to repay their generosity in turn, helping other communities that suffer tragedies and natural disasters.”

This is something she’s witnessed first-hand and is part of her heritage, she says. Her great-grandfather, Leopold Albert Hegmann, survived the 1900 Storm. Her grandmother, Leona Hegmann Schroeder, was born in Galveston in 1904 as Galveston rebuilt, the same year the Sealy Memorial Window was created.

This year, after tragedy struck in the Hill Country, people again from all over the world expressed support for Texans. The historic July 4 flash flood killed 139 people in several counties, with the most in Kerr County. As survivors and family members grapple with loss, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope can be found throughout memorials in the Hill Country, The Center Square reported.

As survivors work to rebuild, like the mythical Phoenix after which the project is named, Galvestonians are still giving to others. Mock hopes the jewelry she designs “brings joy to the wearer and serves as a reminder that beauty can be found in the rubble and hope never dies.”