VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Houston Museum of Natural Science presents Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island,  on view October 1, 2010 - Feb. 20, 2011. March 6, 2011.

From 1845 to 1924, the Port of Galveston was a major gateway to American immigration. This exhibition is the first of its kind to explore Galveston’s legacy as a port of entry on a national scale. It brings to light the little-known yet rich era of Galveston’s history and importance to the growth of Texas and the American Midwest.

While New York’s Ellis Island’s location made it a natural port for Europeans, Galveston attracted a diverse group of people from Europe, Mexico, South and Central America and even Asia. 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 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.

Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island was created and curated by the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Support for this exhibit comes from The National Endowment for the Humanities; Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. & Helen C. Kleberg Foundation; The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation; The Summerlee Foundation; Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund; The Moody Foundation; Scurlock Foundation; and Humanities Texas. Local support provided by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation.

Pictured above:  Poster of a Passenger Line from Hamburg to Galveston. Photo Credit: Anonymous. Photo courtesy of State Preservation Board/Victor Hotho.

Pictured below:  Group of Russian Jewish immigrants at North German Lloyd Wharf in Galveston 1907. Man second from left is Rabbi Cohen. Courtesy UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures, 073-0938, San Antonio; Courtesy of Temple Bnai Israel.