Texas island vanishes in storm

[lobsterman]

i vaguely remember reading somewhere about an island off the coast of Texas that had a large hotel and several cottages on it. in the late 1800's or early 1900's, the entire island and buildings were washed away during a hurricane, i don't remember all the details of this tale, but i was wondering if anyone else has ever heard of this island or the tale of it ?.

Pat.

 

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[FISHEYE]

i never heard of that island being washed away,but hurricane ivan in florida near the panhandle washed away some million dollar homes that were on barrier islands,i bet theres alot of treasure in the waters around there but a bunch of trash too,some dangerous stuff too like lots of rebar,glass,other metal junk,etc.

 

[PrizmIV]

I'm an whiteness to Ivan. The sand shifter that went down the beach in the Perdido Key, Orange Beach area; You should of seen the stuff it picked up. Its amazing as to how it would completely blow the walls of a house but you look at it and there is still wine bottels and glasses on racks and stuff. It was so sad. That area will never be the same again! Not even the Flora-Bama!!! We are still rebuilding our condo. The sad thing about it is that the insurance company is giving problems, board members of our buildings are suing each other; we just got assessed a bunch of money! Everything is just so sad!!!

 

[Gold Digger]

i vaguely remember reading somewhere about an island off the coast of Texas that had a large hotel and several cottages on it. in the late 1800's or early 1900's, the entire island and buildings were washed away during a hurricane, i don't remember all the details of this tale, but i was wondering if anyone else has ever heard of this island or the tale of it ?.

Pat.

Pat...

Sounds like you're talking about the great hurricane of 1900 that completely wiped out Galveston Island. The island rebuilt, (17 feet above sea level) and is rich in history. Metal detectorists search the beaches daily, but they are only looking for clad coins, as they are only searching on the modern beaches used for swimming. I have a trip planned for later this year to search for the older stuff on different parts of the island...

 

[Rich in Texas]

Hey it's my old buddy Gold Digger!
I actually have heard of the hotel island being washed away by a storm. I'll do a bit of digging and see if I can find the source. Gold Digger, we need to do some digging together sometime. Let's see if we can come up with a plan.

Rich

 

[lobsterman]

Thanks for the replies guys, i wish i could remember where i had read it, as it was a good story. and i know what you mean about the hurricanes, i have lost thousands of dollars worth of traps to a few of them.

didn't the entire waterfront of Galveston harbor get blown up in the 40's ?, a ship containing naptha or something. i wonder if that threw a few silver coins about.


Pat.

 

[Gold Digger]

Hey it's my old buddy Gold Digger!?
I actually have heard of the hotel island being washed away by a storm. I'll do a bit of digging and see if I can find the source. Gold Digger, we need to do some digging together sometime. Let's see if we can come up with a plan.

Rich

Hey Rich... Good to see you posting again buddy. I hope all has been well for you? Whenever you're ready to go, gimme a holler I'm sure we can work out something. I've got a trip planned to Galveston in October, unless something changes? You're welcome to meet us down there, we're gonna be searching out of the ordinary detecting spots. My detecting buddy has been getting real interested in the KGC treasure, but I'm too skeptical to take it as serious as he is. We've been going to Oklahoma doing research for stuff... But I just go along for the company and BS value... Oklahoma ain't too good for detecting as far as I'm concerned, their dirt is harder to dig than our own, so I'll stay in Texas as much as I can for now... LOL

 

[Roaddog]

The explosion in the forties (I don't remember the year) was in Texas City, which is on the mainland. I've drilled in Teas City and hit metal 20 feet deep from the explosion.

 

[Rich in Texas]

I took another detecting trip to Oklahoma in April. Went in August two years before that, will NEVER go in August again. My Uncle Glen and I hit some old spots, got a merc, a ton of wheaties, some old Tootsietoy cars etc. The dirt there is like concrete!! Let me know about Oct, I would love to tag along on that. Detecting road trips are high on my list right now.


Rich

 

[NightLiliy]

I know this was a while ago. But I live 20 miles from galveston island. I am very interested in any more info about this island and hotel. Did anyone ever come up with anything?

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

didn't the entire waterfront of Galveston harbor get blown up in the 40's ?, a ship containing naptha or something. isilver coins about.
?

? Pat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


qa) Hi Pat, I believe that is when they found out aout ANOL, Amonium Nitrate & fuel oil explosives. Up to that tiime it was considered a just a fertilizer, then came the big booom!! Now it is the most used explosive made.

Jose de La Mancha ( I tilt windmills )

 

[NightLiliy]

I think it has been blown up several times! But that one was the biggest. I compared a map from 1894 to modern day maps and can see several islands no long there. One island having a bay not shown on the 1894 map. I've also been reading up on the pirates that used to call Galveston home.

 

[mrspotatohead]

hey, I just saw something about an island offshore new york or mass. area that was completely washed away by an atlantic hurricane. I know its an old post but, I just saw it on tv the other night. It was in the late 1800's I believe. A resort island where the upper crust vacationed. They are just recently finding artifacts from it.

christa

 

[cryptodave]

There are quite a few little islands in the sound here that have been washed away. Matter of fact, there is one fixing to do it now, and I would assume that with the next hurricane it will be gone. It is called, believe it or not, Monkey Island, and has a big delapitated hunting lodge on it. It was in use around 1900 to around the lates 70s early 80s. Now the wooden bulkhead surrounding the island has began to fall apart, and the sound is reclaiming the island. The county currently owns the 15 acre island, but has no plans to save the great historical building where it has been said that many famous people, including presidents, have stayed while hunting.

 

[johnny50]

Lobsterman,

There are a few places it could be, since hurricanes are fairly common along the coast! I can say that I've never heard of Monkey Island, so I'm guessing that cryptodave is a BOI (born on island).

I can tell you about two others, though. In 1903, a massive hurricane wiped out the city of Galveston, leveling the town and killing more than 3,000 people. It's still the largest natural disaster death toll in the US. Many thought Katrina might surpass it. The hurricane is the reason that the seawall was built, raising the seaward side of the island by 17 feet and the leeward side 5 ft. The buildings on the island that pre-date the storm(this pertains only to the part that was inside the city, mostly off of Broadway) were raised and filled in underneath. Check out the Gail Borden home! Incredible feat. Also the reason that Houston was chosen to be a port city and began its growth into an international port city. Before that, Galveston was the biggest port in Texas, and, may have been (don't qoute me) the biggest west of the Mississippi.

The second place it might be is not an island at all. Indianola was the biggest port city in Texas in the 1850's, establish by Carl, Prince of Solms Braunfels, the founder of New Braunfels, TX. It was a main shipping route to Mexico and to the West coast for goods on the Atlantic(pre-Panama canal, of course). It was hit in the 1870's by a massive hurricane, rebuilt and finally leveled in 1886. It was deserted. There was a population of about 5,000 before the first hurricane. There were hotels and a racetrack, even. Now, there are just a few roads. Never hunted, but I will when I return to Texas.

Lastly, the explosion in Texas CIty was in 1947, when a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate (same stuff used in the van in the Oklahoma City bombing) blew up. It was at the Monsanto dock nearest to the Texas City jetty. My dad worked there and knew some of the old timers who were working there back then.

Anyway, good luck hunting and leave some for me! P.S. go to RH Johns chart store, right off the strand and as for the old Glavest lithograph. They may still have some. It was originally drawn in about 1845 and reprinted in 1971. I bought one in the 1990 timeframe. They still had several, back then. Shows the old island and some shipwrecks at the time.

johnny

 

[texan connection]

I have a book written in 1901 just after the storm read it cover to cover the hotel it mentions was still barly standing and abandon because it was no longer on dry land It may giva hint to location I am def game for this adventure I will reffer to the book this eve.

 

[River Rat]

I've been having a book "Cheniere Caminada - Buried At Sea". It was eerie to read it again right after Katrina. "2000 died in the killer hurricane and tidal wave of 1893" "Louisiana's greatest natural disaster".

To look at pictures of that area & to see fine hotels that no longer exists...have to take my MD to the area next time I'm down there fishing.

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

it was a fertilizer ship. ship caught fire and the cargo doors were closed in order to contain the fire. there many people at the dock that day. in those days with no PS2 and internet people were regularly out of the house. lots of school children were at the dock that day. many, many people were killed. everyone on the dock was killed and chunks of metal flew quite a good distance. there is large chunk of metal in the ground in front of a waoman's house that came from that ship. she i nowhere near the dock.

the cargo doors being closed caused the explosion as was told to me. had they not been closed to contain the fumes it most likely would not have exploded. so the story goes.

 

[bja3908]

I have lived hunted and done research for fifty odd years on Galveston Island. After the storm of 1900 that killed 6000+, Galveston had a grade raising which raise the east end by 3 to 5 ft. Many of the old home lost there first floor or the bottom floor has 7ft or so ceiling. Hunting for pre 1900 coins is of little use. Between 45 and 53 st. on the beach side there was a orphanage which was wiped out in 1900, during WW2 a fort was built at the same site during the 70's and 80' it produst a lot of coins etc from the 40' and the 1900's. Few people know that there are 2 ghost towns on the island, West Galveston started at the 13 mile road and was wiped out by a storm in the late 1800's. Nottingham had a lace factory built by 2 men from England, a town was laid out and a few lots sold but very little building was done. The factory worked for several years till a storm wiped it out also. I hunt around there many times finding a few coins and small artifacts.Galveston has ghost towns civil war forts WW 1 and 2 forts ship wreaks gambling treasure you name it we got it. If I can be of help to anyone headed this way let me know.

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

hey bja3908. you ever try the lots and such along harborside drive? lots of old buildings there. i didn't have but just a few minutes the last time i was in galveston, so, i didn't get to detect. lemme know what you think of harborside drive.