Map of the City of Galveston Situated on the East End of Galveston Island Texas

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IdentifierMaps_259aDate1838DescriptionJohn Groesbeck conducted the second survey of Galveston, which was the first under the direction of the Galveston City Company. Though he finished the map in 1838, it did not reach print until 1854; and the company never used it in promotionals. Shortly after Groesbeck completed the map, the company commissioned William Sandusky to prepare a third survey of Galveston. It was the Sandusky map that became the standard view of Galveston in the 1840s.

Groesbeck platted the city site and named streets according to a pattern set by the city of Philadelphia. Avenues ran east and west and were in alphabetical order, beginning at the bay with Avenue A. Streets ran north and south and were in numerical order, beginning on the east with First Street. Two major thoroughfares divided the city: Broadway ran east and west, and Bath Avenue (now Rosenberg or Twenty-fifth) ran north and south. North of Avenue M, Groesbeck platted city blocks measuring 260x360 feet and contained fourteen business or residential lots. South of Avenue M, he created outlots, which were four times the size of city blocks and were intended for agricultural use.

In several instances Groesbeck drew lot lines across bayous and bayshores; it was obvious that the City Company planned from the beginning to fill in wetlands and use every available space on the barrier island for human habitation.

Groesbeck located cemeteries on the bay at the far northwest corner of the city and set aside land for five churches, three schools, three markets, a customs house, and a courthouse. He also showed three wharves and a large park in the harbor area. A channel separated the eastern tip of the island from the city (see no. 204). Groesbeck left this Fort Point area undeveloped but did show an "old fort" and a pilothouse thee, among other features.

Original copies of this printed map are in three repositories: the Galveston city archives, Yale University, and the Barker Texas History Center. This photostat seems to have been made from the Barker copy. The original manuscript has been lost since at least the 1890s. In 1898 the Galveston City Company tried unsuccessfully to retrieve from Bradford & Co. either the stone from which the map was pulled or the original manuscript itself. Language NoteEnglishSubjectGalveston (Tex)--MapsCopyright StatementNo Copyright – Non-Commercial Use OnlySize55x97 centimeters.CartographerJohn D Groesbeck

CollectionRosenberg Library map collectionOrganizationGalveston City Company

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Map of the City of Galveston Situated on the East End of Galveston Island Texas

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Map of the City of Galveston Situated on the East End of Galveston Island Texas