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Good articleGalveston, Texas has been listed as one of the Geography and places good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Article milestones
DateProcessResult
November 3, 2008 Good article nomineeNot listed
October 11, 2009 Peer reviewReviewed
October 16, 2009 Good article nomineeListed
Current status: Good article

GA Review

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The article needs a lot of work and at present, is an indiscriminate collection of random facts, and not an encyclopedia article. With all due respect, it looks like a C-class article at best. I'd recommend looking at the guideline for US city articles for information on how to organize an article on a US city.

  • The 'galveston today' section should be included in the 'history' section. Additionally, the article title itself should actually not be used in section or subsection headers, per WP:MSH. The history section also seems to focus a bit too much on the hurricanes of 1900 and 2008, which slants the article's direction more towards the disasters than anything else.
  • The 'architecture' section is just a list of buildings, and the list starts with a bulleted list and then goes to a numbered list, which isn't good style. A good 'geography' section should include a subsection on 'cityscape', which should discuss the downtown area and other neighborhoods, and could include various aspects of the architecture. A list of buildings itself isn't really discussing the "architecture" in a city.
  • Information in the 'The Port of Galveston' should probably be incorporated into an 'economy' section, since it's central to the economics of the city. Such a section should also include other aspects of the businesses in the city as well.
  • 'Geography and climate' has a few short sentences with some uncited weather averages and records, and a big table. I wouldn't call that complete.
  • The 'Transportation' section is really just a listing of the various transportation options in the city, in the guise of subsections (and very short text in each subsection, largely uncited, at that). I'd recommend dropping the subsections entirely and weaving all of the information on the transportation options into a single, coherent discussion in this section.
  • 'Galveston in pop culture' is a good start; change title of section to simply 'In popular culture', per WP:MSH. You could also call this section 'Media and popular culture', and incorporate information on local media (newspapers, radio, television) into the section. The Flagstaff, Arizona article handles media and popular culture reasonably well.
  • 'Education' -- similar to 'transportation', I'd recommend dropping the subsections and weaving this information into a single, coherent discussion on the educational opportunities in Galveston. Don't just state the schools in the city (which is really just a list in prose form). Talk about how the schools are administered, how many students/teachers there are in the city. Mention some of the more noteworthy schools (governor's schools, charter schools, etc). I think more can be said about the library system than simply, "The city is served by the Rosenberg Library."
  • 'Postal service' AND 'Community information' -- not really notable for an encyclopedia article. Wikipedia is not a directory. Postal zip codes, as long as there aren't too many, can be put into the infobox if desired.
  • The inline citation in the 'sister cities' section should be at the end of the first sentence, immediately following the colon (:), not before the sentence.
  • There's quite a few external links. Some of these could be pruned. I would think many of these could also be used to provide further information to improve the article itself, and thereby becoming inline citations instead. It might also help to review WP:EL for tips on what external links are appropriate for inclusion and which ones could be dropped.
  • Inline citations used in the article are overall insufficient to meet the GA criteria requirement.
  • WP:LEAD could provide additional information on writing a good, concise, and eye-catching lead section for the article.

Hope this helps. Unfortunately, this article is quite a way away from meeting the six GA criteria, so I can't list it at this time. It can be renominated once these issues are cleared up. Dr. Cash ( talk) 04:02, 3 November 2008 (UTC) reply

Thank you for your review, Dr. Cash. I began improving some aspects. The schools section now discusses when schools opened and closed; Galveston is seeing a trend of public schools dropping like flies. The Catholic schools also decreased as time passed. WhisperToMe ( talk) 23:31, 7 November 2008 (UTC) reply

Thanks, I will work to improves this article. It deserves to be a GA. Postoak ( talk) 06:48, 8 April 2009 (UTC) reply

Post-Ike

Im amazed their isnt more information and photos about hurricane Ike. -- Michaelkemp ( talk) 02:23, 11 January 2009 (UTC) reply

I really have to agree here. I came looking for any updates on reconstruction post Ike and found absolutely no mention of Ike anywhere in the article. I understand that while it was a hot topic, it was likely over reported here. However, to have no mention of it at all does not tell the full history of Galveston. I think all the residents and most casual observers would think Ike was a pretty serious event in the history of Galveston. Or perhaps the news cover was overstated and the destruction was not as wide spread? That is ALWAYS possible.

Instead of reinventing the wheel and possible stopping all over the folks that have been working hard here to create a good page, I would like to encourage this pages current editors to reinstate at least some of the Ike coverage that was here already, along with updates if anybody has them. Again, I don't want to stomp all over the page, but I really think Ike bears mentioning, just as the 1900 storm did. thanks The Pearl ( talk) 19:02, 16 February 2010 (UTC) reply

Ike is mentioned in the History section, did you not see it? Also, see History of Galveston, Texas. The article is not about the recovery efforts, I suggest you create this if you want. THanks, Postoak ( talk) 19:37, 16 February 2010 (UTC) reply

Moving this temporarily

  • Palisade Palms Trade Winds Tower (Under construction)
  • Palisade Palms Beach Club (Under construction)
  • The Emerald Condominiums (Under construction)
  • Ocean Grove Condominiums (Under construction)
  • East Beach Resort & Spa (Under construction) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Postoak ( talkcontribs) 06:46, 8 April 2009 (UTC) reply
Galveston beach on the Gulf of Mexico
If you need/want help cleaning up the article, just let me know. It seems to ramble and have various bits of information stuck about hap-hazardly. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 06:56, 8 April 2009 (UTC) reply
Absolutely, I've been wanting to take this to GA for a while now, didn't have the time last Novemeber when it was being prepped. Thanks, Postoak ( talk) 07:10, 8 April 2009 (UTC) reply

Do we want this?

Moving from main page, we can work it in elsewhere, but most I think is NN. Postoak ( talk) 07:10, 8 April 2009 (UTC) reply

==In pop culture==+

  • The Blackadder series one episode " The Queen of Spain's Beard" features a scene where Lord Percy describes the Spanish Infanta's eyes as being "bluer than the famous stone of Galveston", despite being set in medieval times several centuries before Galveston's foundation.
  • The film Together Brothers (1974) was filmed in a section of Market Street @ 27th southwest of Downtown Galveston. The film was scored by Galveston native Barry White.
  • The Road to Galveston, a made-for-tv film starring Cicely Tyson, was a movie about a caretaker of Alzheimers patients, who finds relief in trips to Galveston's beaches. [2]

References

  1. ^ Music Video on YouTube (Take a look at fire trucks as they say Galveston Fire Department)
  2. ^ IMDB The Road to Galveston

Moved from article, undue weight

Needs to be edited. Does this single event justify several paragraphs in the article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Postoak ( talkcontribs) 08:16, 8 April 2009 (UTC) reply

Police controversy

In September 2006, the City of Galveston charged 12-year old Dymond Milburn with felony assault. This was in response to an incident in which three plain-clothes police officers said that they mistook the 12-year old Milburn, who is black, for a white prostitute. Milburn was treated at the hospital for injuries including multiple contusions, bleeding from the nose and ear, deep choking marks at her neck, and a black eye as a result of her treatment at the hands of police officers. The police have countered that the choke marks were made by the tree which Dymond clung to with her arms and legs while the officers attempted to pull her into their unmarked van. [1] The child, an honor student, was put through two trials for felony assault against a police officer. The case against Milburn resulted in a hung jury with 5 voting to acquit and one voting against on February 10, 2009. It was thus a mistrial. [2] [3] The incident has sparked international outrage at Galveston County DAs Kurt Sistrunk and Joel Bennett for their use of the justice system to further traumatize a child already injured by the police. [4]

The Galveston Police Department has had a history of police brutality incidents with little official response. [5] A School Board leader has publicly stated he was the victim of police brutality by the GPD. [6] Eleven people at a wedding reception at the San Luis Resort were beaten by the Galveston Police, arrested and jailed. [7] Videos show Galveston police officers tasering and pepper spraying people who are not threatening the officers. [8] A FEMA Director of Operations attempting to report police brutality at the incident was jailed and arrested. [9] [10]

I think this story deserves it's own article! Centerone ( talk) 08:10, 19 September 2014 (UTC) reply

References

  1. ^ Chris Vogel "Finally, More Details on that Bizarre Galveston Police Incident" http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/01/dymond_milburn_galveston.phpThe Houston PressJanuary 28, 2009
  2. ^ Chris Paschenko ["Girl cops allegedly mistook for hooker on trial" http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=dbb1f3ec0e4b1180] The Daily News February 7, 2009
  3. ^ HARVEY RICE [Galveston girl’s police assault trial ends with hung jury http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6256265.html] Houston Chronicle Feb. 10, 2009
  4. ^ Collateral News ["Dymond Milburn" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2YodfOWeuI Collateral News Network TVDecember 31, 2008
  5. ^ Dolph Tillotson "Cops Sleaze Proves We Need Review Board" http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=7fd5fcad51bf2f94c8545f57966c90b3Galveston County Daily NewsMay 29, 2008
  6. ^ Dolph Tillotson ["Wanted: Confidence in our Police" http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=0a83a07df302b327] Galveston County Daily News
  7. ^ Chris Paschenko ["Witnesses say police force not justified" http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=9b02fc047a377046c8545f57966c90b3 Galveston County Daily NewsOctober 7, 2008
  8. ^ Byrd7373 ["Galveston Police taser and pepperspray groomsman and father of the bride" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq0v50vT7bQYoutube October 5, 2008
  9. ^ Sara Foley ["FEMA Official Arrested - Tried to Complain" http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=60765e988f23988ec8545f57966c90b3Galveston County Daily NewsOctober 7, 2008
  10. ^ Scott Williams ["Meeting to Mull Police Claims" http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=dfa7e3280e9cd411c8545f57966c90b3Galveston County Daily NewsJuly 9, 2007

Notes and content

The East End Historic District [1] and other buildings [2] — Preceding unsigned comment added by Postoak ( talkcontribs) 02:06, 9 April 2009 (UTC) reply

Crime: [3] [4] { http://www.click2houston.com/news/4422587/detail.html] — Preceding unsigned comment added by Postoak ( talkcontribs) 06:16, 15 April 2009 (UTC) reply

The addition of the first black student at Ball High in 1965, I don't have a citation for what I put in, but I was a student at the time and that's how I know. Probably a review of the Galveston Daily News archieves has mention of it, but I don't have access to it. Kyle Andrew Brown ( talk) 14:18, 29 May 2009 (UTC) reply

Ike photo farm

If there's no objection, I would like to prune the "farm" of Ike photos at the bottom of the article. While visually interesting, I think they're being given undue weight and belong somewhere like Effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas rather than populating an article about a city. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 08:02, 9 April 2009 (UTC) reply

I agree. How about one or two images related to storm damage in the Hurricane Ike section of the article? The gallery should cover the city as a whole. Maybe even remove the gallery altogether since inline images are preferred. Postoak ( talk) 15:13, 9 April 2009 (UTC) reply

I removed the photo farm. Most were not relevant to the article as a whole and belong under Effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas and nobody seemed to comment in opposition to my earlier query.

I expanded the history section to include some general history as some specific events (how could we leave out WWII?). I have some more information to add as well as sourcing, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. My re-write is rather rough, so I'd appreciate any proofing to make sure it flows well....plus I'm thinking we may need to divide up the Post-1900s into one or two additional segments, once I get some additional information on WWII and the economics added in -- 1910-1999 is a long time frame.... -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 06:23, 14 April 2009 (UTC) reply

Ike coverage trimmed

This was removed:

Public housing projects in Galveston were one of the hardest hit areas. The Galveston Housing Authority hopes to move away from traditional housing developments and adopt a program of building houses for individual low-income families. [1] Galveston ISD too suffered enormous damage from Hurricane Ike; the school district lost over 2,300 students, when compared to 07-08 enrollment numbers. [2] The Galveston postal operations temporarily moved to 14057 Delaney Road in La Marque. The United States Postal Service also operated postal pickup for Galveston residents at the North Houston Processing Center and North Houston Post Office at the 4600 block of Aldine Bender Road in Houston. [3] [4] As of spring 2009, several restaurants resumed business, while some were still closed. [5]

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Postoak ( talkcontribs) 05:08, 15 April 2009 (UTC) reply

References

  1. ^ "Galveston Housing Authority to emulate Biloxi." Galveston County Daily News. November 30, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
  2. ^ " "Enrollment continues to grow as students return." Galveston Independent School District. October 16, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
  3. ^ " Galveston Post Office Temporarily Moved to La Marque after Ike." Fox Houston 26. September 23, 2008.
  4. ^ " Post Office™ Location - NORTH HOUSTON." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 11, 2008.
  5. ^ Schilcutt, Katharine. " Taking Stock of Galveston's Restaurants." Houston Press. Sunday February 22, 2009. Retrieved on February 23, 2009.

Removed

I took this out but can work it back in later -

Galveston's beaches are much cleaner than in the past. With the island's population showing greater concern for their environment, washed-up seaweed is now only moved back from the water's edge to allow the natural buildup and preservation of the beaches. The beaches are now cleaned daily by the Galveston Park Board.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Postoak ( talkcontribs) 07:45, 23 June 2009 (UTC) reply

External links were cleaned up - I removed the tourist and school links. Restore if you disagree, Thanks, Postoak ( talk) 07:18, 13 September 2009 (UTC) reply

20s and 30s

There seems to be some omitted content in the history. During the 20s and 30s the island had re-emerged as a major tourist destination for the rich and famous. The beauty pageants, swank night clubs, gambling, etc. were legendary. Granted some of what was going on was illegal (a lot revolved around Prohibition) but still it happened. Also mention should be given to the famous phrase "The Free State of Galveston" which used to embody the laissez-faire attitude about people having fun and getting away with things. That whole era ended in the 1950s.

Here's a really short summary (not authoritative but quick reading).

Galveston Island. Its Time Has Come. Again.

For more detailed info look at

Salvant, The historic seacoast of Texas, pg. 26

Also read the articles on Sam and Rosario Maceo and the Balinese Room. Those articles are pretty incomplete but they are a start.

-- Mcorazao ( talk) 22:29, 25 September 2009 (UTC) reply

Healthcare

There should be a subsection on healthcare -- given that the industry is a major employer in the city. I'll dig up the sourcing and add it in -- Nsaum75 ( talk) — Preceding undated comment added 05:00, 25 September 2009 (UTC) reply

Yes, thanks. Postoak ( talk) 21:41, 26 September 2009 (UTC) reply
I've added some specifics on number of beds pre-ike as well as current beds post-ike. I'm now compiling a list of the individual hospitals (there are seven) as well as some of the other non-utmb medical industries in the city, like the Transitional Learning Center [5] (which eventually I would like to make an article for) that serves people with acute brain injuries, VA clinic system, and the TDCJ hospital (which is owned by TDCJ but staffed by UTMB doctors). -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 00:02, 27 September 2009 (UTC) reply

Crime

We need to re-introduce a crime section. Postoak ( talk) 20:01, 26 September 2009 (UTC) reply

I have the uniform crime reports for GPD as well as the UTMB police department....I will have to find online versions though, so we can use them as sources (given the nature of the material they contain, I feel it should be able to verified freely) -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 21:15, 26 September 2009 (UTC) reply
Maybe useful - [6] [7] [8] Postoak ( talk) 02:20, 27 September 2009 (UTC) reply

Image

Can we get a better image or crop/touch-up this one? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Postoak ( talkcontribs) 20:59, 26 September 2009 (UTC) reply

A marker along The Strand indicating a building that survived the 1900 hurricane. Many of the island's most impressive mansions in Galveston's historical East End near downtown survived.
Yes. I will be back in Galveston this week, and can take a photo of one then. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 21:14, 26 September 2009 (UTC) reply
Thanks, Postoak ( talk) 00:14, 27 September 2009 (UTC) reply

 Done -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 01:29, 3 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Thank you!! Will work it in later tonight. Postoak ( talk) 01:37, 3 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Education

...needs to be trimmed, what do you think? Postoak ( talk) 00:14, 27 September 2009 (UTC) reply

The primary & secondary school section is too long/too detailed; some of it can easily be trimmed down. If anyone objects, there is probably enough information available to later on create an all-inclusive article on Education in Galveston. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 00:22, 27 September 2009 (UTC) reply
Some of the details about the individual schools within GISD should be removed. A number of them are likely to close in the next year anyhow...besides, they already are mentioned in the GISD article. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 00:22, 27 September 2009 (UTC) reply
I created a possible "Education in Galveston" sub-article in a sandbox, so that we can trim the Galveston article's education section (while leaving the information available somewhere else -- if its really needed). A good part of the sandbox article is harvested from other articles, however the information copied lacked citations in the parent articles. Therefore I am keeping it in the sandbox until adequate and proper sourcing can be added. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 21:43, 27 September 2009 (UTC) reply
I combined some of the private school references to a single reference that lists all schools - this should help with reference maintenance. Education in Galveston, Texas containes the individual references. Thanks, Postoak ( talk) 22:03, 4 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Section renaming

I took another look at how the history section flowed and took the liberty of doing some restructuring and renaming. The new sections look like the following:

  • Golden era
  • Storm of 1900
  • Rebuilding and the open era
  • Recent history

My thinking is the following. First, I used the terms "Golden era" and "Open era" since these are commonly used historiographical terms for Galveston. I broke up the 20th century into 2 sections because the 1950s really were a major transition point in the island's history (the section was a little long anyway). Breaking it up at this point helps to clarify this transition.

Hope you all agree ...

-- Mcorazao ( talk) 05:03, 1 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Agree, looks good. Postoak ( talk) 05:29, 1 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Good work. Also, thanks for tying in your work on the Free State/Golden Era into this article. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 05:49, 1 October 2009 (UTC) reply

How about...

...a section for, or at least wikilinked list of, famous Galvestonians? Kay Bailey Hutchison, Jack Johnson spring to mind. — e. ripley\ talk 22:58, 1 October 2009 (UTC) reply

I would prefer a paragraph with 10 or so famous Galvestonians and their claim to fame over a bulleted list. The famous person lists seem to draw vandalism. Postoak ( talk) 03:01, 2 October 2009 (UTC) reply
I would have to agree that a paragraph in the article would be more fitting. And true, the lists attract vandals. Houston has a a separate list -- List_of_people_raised_in_Houston -- but it suffers from BLP/citations issues. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 03:11, 2 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Regardless of form, the article would probably benefit from treating the subject in some fashion. — e. ripley\ talk 14:07, 2 October 2009 (UTC) reply
I concur, for what it's worth. Question: Is this strictly people who are widely known or semi-famous people who have had a major impact outside of Galveston? For example the Moodys have had a big impact outside of Galveston although most people haven't heard of them. -- Mcorazao ( talk) 22:44, 2 October 2009 (UTC) reply
I think if they can have *good* reliable sources added to them, then they can be included. Famous/semi-famous or even "unknown", will have good reliable sources on them, if they've had some sort of greater impact in the state/nation. That said, I've watched a number of "famous people" lists grow insanely long because everyone who ever made it onto a college or semi-pro/pro football team has been added to the list. There exists a category for People from Galveston, Texas, but even it has questionable listings like 40 Glocc. (I wonder if the kids who listen to his music know that he shares his name with a semi-automatic pistol used by police) -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 01:15, 3 October 2009 (UTC) reply
5-10 of the most notable people with RS from this category (that have not already been mentioned in the article) should work. Postoak ( talk) 01:36, 3 October 2009 (UTC) reply
If I may suggest ... I would say that a criterion for inclusion should be that they have to have spent a couple of decades living on the island before they should be considered "from Galveston." An additional criterion might be that either they spent most of their childhood in Galveston or that reliable sources say that they considered Galveston their adopted home in some fashion.
-- Mcorazao ( talk) 19:08, 3 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Absolutely agree. Postoak ( talk) 19:13, 3 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Agreed, however it may be difficult to find the extent of time some people lived in Galveston for many people -- ie: many sources state that a person was born in such-and-such a place, and then drop off any mention of the person's life until the point in their life at which they became famous; in addition, due to the place that UTMB & St. Mary's Hospital (now part of UTMB) held in the history of Texas medicine (ie: pre-1960s, there were not a plethora of major medical hospitals in Texas), parents of people like Kay Bailey Hutchison came to Galveston to have their children but were mostly raised in other locations (La Marque). Perhaps we should only include people who have/had a wide-reaching impact or long-term visibility, not fly-by-night football players who only played one season or people whose only source material are fringe publications. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 02:00, 4 October 2009 (UTC) reply

<--The "two decades on the island" criteria will be difficult. Here's a stab at a list from the arts, sports and business...in no particular order: Tilman J. Fertitta, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Katherine Helmond, Jack Johnson (boxer), George P. Mitchell, Shearn Moody, Jr., King Vidor, Bill Engvall. Postoak ( talk) 06:28, 5 October 2009 (UTC) reply

I would include W.L. Moody, only because of the far reaching nature of his philanthropic endeavors (plus I think there are a number of universities in Texas that have buildings named for him -- whether or not students know it -- ie: Moody Residential Towers @ UH, Moody Coliseum etc. Also: John H. Murphy, Barry White (somewhere I have material about his early childhood in the Galveston housing projects)...and maybe Valerie Perrine.
I have some more Shearn Moody stuff, but I'm going to withhold adding it to his article at this time, due to its humorous/silly nature -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 08:06, 5 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Comments on people being included: I'm not sure how appropriate Barry White is to include. My understanding is that he grew up in L.A. Also John Murphy, though a significant personality in southeast Texas, I'm not sure really made enough of an impact beyond to merit inclusion.
Some others that may bear inclusion: Douglas Corrigan, Thomas M. Price, Larry Coryell, and, if I may shamelessly promote one of my topics, Sam Maceo (he actually was nationally famous in the 30s and 40s).
BTW, the "two decades" criterion is meant to be approximate. If it is only 19 years then I think it is ok. However, if we really have no idea then we should question the inclusion (i.e. if the only reason the person is being included is that some reference mentions them living in a home on the island at some point this is probably not a good reason to include the person).
-- Mcorazao ( talk) 23:33, 6 October 2009 (UTC) reply
P.S. Jonathan Pollard would be interesting to include but he really only spent half his childhood in Galveston ...

<- OK, here's a draft just to get us started. I didn't add references on the talk page. I think this would work great as a subsection under the culture section. Tear it apart and/or replace everyone, it won't bother me :) Thanks, Postoak ( talk) 00:53, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Notable Galvestonians

Galveston is the birthplace and home to many actors, musicians, sports figures, business leaders and other cultural leaders known throughout the United States. In the arts, actors Katherine Helmond, Valerie Perrine, comedian Bill Engvall and jazz musician Larry Coryell were born in the city. Director King Vidor survived the 1900 Galveston Storm and made his debut as a director in 1913 with Hurricane in Galveston. Jack Johnson, nicknamed the “Galveston Giant”, was the first black world heavyweight boxing champion. In business, William Lewis Moody Jr. was an American financier who founded one of the largest charitable foundations in the United States. John Hulen Murphy was a Texas newspaperman for seventy-four years and was the longtime executive vice president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association. Tilman J. Fertitta is the founder and president of Landry's Restaurants Inc. Salvatore ("Sam") Maceo and Rosario ("Papa Rose") Maceo Sr. were Sicilian immigrants and organized crime bosses who transformed Galveston into a nationally known resort town during the early and mid 20th century. Other notable Galvestonians include aviator Douglas Corrigan, remembered as one of the brave few who made early transoceanic flights and Kay Bailey Hutchison who was the first female U.S. senator elected in Texas.

I found another important figure that should be mentioned: Norris Wright Cuney ( [9]). He was a black man who led the Texas Republican party for several years at the end of the 19th century. He is considered by some to have been the most important black figure in the South during the whole century.
-- Mcorazao ( talk) 02:59, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Norris Wright Cuney has been on my list of people to create articles for, but I've never had the chance. The Maceos and/or Fertitta should probably get a nod; esp. since Landry's Corp is well known for its version of...seafood. Still looking to see if I can find anything more specific on Barry White (ie: length of time in Galveston) -- if I can't, its no big deal if he's not included. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 03:20, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
I added the Maceo family and Fertitta to the draft above. Thanks, Postoak ( talk) 06:53, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Maybe we should not include people in the "Notable Galvestonians" section if they have already been discussed elsewhere in the article and are duplicate. What do you think? Postoak ( talk) 06:58, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
<- This is an awkward one from the standpoint of artcle organization. The section could be called "Other notable Galvestonians" which is a little strange. Just calling it "Notable Galvestonians" and not including certain persons, even if they were already mentioned, seems a slight to those individuals. But you are right that mentioning them again is redundant. I guess I'm on the fence. -- Mcorazao ( talk) 13:47, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Taking a stab. I'm guessing there will be significant objections to this version but maybe this will motivate some additional discussion. -- Mcorazao ( talk) 18:14, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Notable Galvestonians
Galveston has been home to many important figures in Texas and U.S. history. During the island's earliest history it became the domain of Jean Lafitte, the famed pirate and American hero of the War of 1812. Much later in the 19th century, the African American Galveston civil rights leader Norris Wright Cuney rose to become the head of the Texas Republican Party and became one of the most important Southern black leaders of the century.
One of the survivors of the 1900 Galveston Storm was the Hollywood director King Vidor who made his directing debut in 1913 with the film Hurricane in Galveston. Later Jack Johnson, nicknamed the “Galveston Giant”, became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion.
During the first half of the 20th century William L. Moody Jr. established a business empire which includes American National Insurance Company, a major national insurer, and founded the Moody Foundation, one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States. Sam Maceo, a nationally known organized crime boss, with the help of his family, was largely responsible for making Galveston a major U.S. tourist destination from the 1920s to the 1940s.
John H. Murphy, was a Texas newspaperman for seventy-four years, was the longtime executive vice president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association. Douglas Corrigan became of the early transatlantic aviators, and was given the nickname "Wrong Way" for claiming to have mistakenly made the ocean crossing after being refused permission to make the flight.
More recently Tilman J. Fertitta, part of the Maceo bloodline, established the Landry's Restaurants corporation which owns numerous restaurants and entertainment venues in Texas and Nevada. Kay Bailey Hutchison is the senior senator from Texas and the first female Texas senator.
This version is fine with me. My only concern is length which is why I compressed the earlier version to one single paragraph. I'd be happy to move it to the article if everyone agrees to this version. Thanks! Postoak ( talk) 19:36, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Please feel free to disregard my version if you don't think it is the best way to approach it. I only suggested something different because:
  1. The other version didn't really have a flow. Not that mine is great but I tried to organize chronologically and give a small sense of continuity.
  2. By avoiding paragraph breaks the original was harder to read. Of course, maybe 4 breaks isn't necessary.
  3. There were a few salient details that were omitted that seemed to me important so as to make the individuals' significance apparent. This last one is highly subjective so please do remove details that you feel are superfluous.
-- Mcorazao ( talk) 21:04, 7 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Actually, I prefer this version. I went ahead and moved it in since there were no objections. Move it out if anyone disagrees. Thanks! Postoak ( talk) 23:46, 8 October 2009 (UTC) reply

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Galveston, Texas/GA2. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
GA review (see here for criteria)

A few comments

  1. It is reasonably well written.
    a (prose): b ( MoS):
    I noticed a lot of tidbits of information is contained within parenthesis. Sometimes, it ruins the flow of the paragraph. I think it'd be better if it were somehow incorporated as regular text. Also, I don't think addresses are recommended in articles.
  2. It is factually accurate and verifiable.
    a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c ( OR):
    Some of the references need the date= parameter like the Bloomberg news article (date=2008-10-08)
  3. It is broad in its coverage.
    a (major aspects): b (focused):
    WP:USCITY says more than 10 paragraphs may be too much for a history section. Maybe create a sub-article for History of Galveston, Texas or condense.
  4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.
    Fair representation without bias:
  5. It is stable.
    No edit wars, etc.:
  6. It is illustrated by images, where possible and appropriate.
    a (images are tagged and non-free images have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):
    Good use of free images. A few captions need wikilinks like the Galvez Hotel image.
  7. Overall:
    Pass/Fail:

Mahanga Talk 20:51, 13 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Thank you for reviewing the article. I will remove some of the parenthesis and addresses. I trimmed the history section and created article History of Galveston, Texas as suggested. Galveston is a historic city which makes it difficult to summarize so many events, so I hope the current version is more acceptable. Thank you! Postoak ( talk) 03:45, 14 October 2009 (UTC) reply
A couple links are dead. [10]. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an archiveurl for them. I made a few fixes. Mahanga Talk 14:51, 14 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Yikes, they die quickly. I checked these prior to nomination. I will correct both later. Thanks again, Postoak ( talk) 16:37, 14 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Fixed. Postoak ( talk) 00:48, 15 October 2009 (UTC) reply
Well done! Passed. Mahanga Talk 16:04, 16 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Observations on the new history summary

The new history summary is pretty good. Some comments, though.

  • The paragraph on the history from Cabeza de Vaca to Jean Lafitte is perhaps a tad too detailed (it's debatable).
  • The section glosses over the whole "Golden Era". That should be brought out a little more because of its importance.
  • Too much is said about Cuney and the civil rights effort (compared to the overall text). One sentence discussing this is probably sufficient.
  • The section on 1900 - 1940s should be titled differently. "Aftermath" has an obvious negative connotation and not everything about this period was negative.
  • The 1900-1940s section has a bit too much detail. The discussion on immigration trends could be condensed a little. The Moodys deserve mention but that could be condensed to one sentence. Maybe even the "Open Era" paragraph could lose a sentence.
  • The Post-WWII section should say a little something about the businesses that survived the end of the Open Era like the insurance businesses and the medical school. One sentence would suffice.
  • Also, IMHO, listing the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and Open Era of Galveston articles as "Further Information" at the top of the section is unnecessary. Doing that kind of implies that these two articles represent mostly all that is important about Galveston's history which is obviously not the case.

-- Mcorazao ( talk) 14:14, 14 October 2009 (UTC) reply

I made a few revisions based on your suggestions. I wasn't to sure about what should be removed in the immigration section, maybe you or someone else can condense it. Thanks, Postoak ( talk) 00:40, 15 October 2009 (UTC) reply
I tried to condense some early history (pirates etc) as well as some of the 19th century information. In comparison to the City of Houston's history section, Galveston's is not that much greater in length; although, arguably, it makes sense that it would be longer as the "modern" history of Galveston extends back to the early 1800s, while Houston didn't really come into its own until the early 20th century. I also condensed the introduction a little, removing some of the details which are further explained in the history section. -- Nsaum75 ( talk) 04:18, 15 October 2009 (UTC) reply

Seal image

The image of the Galveston seal is currently used in the Galveston navbox. The fair use rationale on the image is specified as expired copyright but there is no evidence to support this (and it seems highly unlikely). Anybody have any info on this? I have an article in FAC right now so if no explanation can be offered quickly then I have to remove it from the navbox.

-- Mcorazao ( talk) 02:30, 28 April 2010 (UTC) reply

I can change the Fair Use notice to something more compatible for the image. -- nsaum75 ¡שיחת! 02:35, 28 April 2010 (UTC) reply
Thanks! -- Mcorazao ( talk) 02:41, 28 April 2010 (UTC) reply
Actually, let me call over to city hall in the morning and see if they can give me the date the logo was adopted. Most historical documents I have come across use the logo, so it may well indeed fit the copyright expiration rational of 70 years. -- nsaum75 ¡שיחת! 02:42, 28 April 2010 (UTC) reply

Navy base

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1900-03-14/ed-1/seq-2.pdf

  • New York Daily Tribune, Wed. March 14, 1900- ""Naval Station for Galveston" - this has a story about the City of Galveston offering a site to the US Navy

WhisperToMe ( talk) 09:22, 6 December 2010 (UTC) reply

This also came up again in the 1980s, but the base re-alignment program killed it. Congress had funded the initial steps towards opening a base. --  nsaum75  !Dígame¡ 10:31, 6 December 2010 (UTC) reply

Galvez Town??

I find it very odd that a Spanish explorer founded a town in Spanish territory (back then) by using English. Rather than Galvez Town it would have been more consistent that he used Ciudad Gálvez or something like that. Otherwise is if like an American pioneer founded a town in Nebraska calling it Pueblo Smith. So odd that this history sounds apocryphal. Maybe people have discussed about this before already? 87.204.242.206 ( talk) 07:51, 11 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Galvez was a governor of the area. It was named for him, not by him. ThoroughAndAccurateUser — Preceding unsigned comment added by ThoroughAndAccurateUser ( talkcontribs) 05:21, 7 August 2019 (UTC) reply

Demolition of Flagship Hotel

I found:

WhisperToMe ( talk) 16:28, 7 March 2011 (UTC) reply

Text Wrap Problem

Several places in the article suffer from a lack of text wrapping around adjacent pictures and tables. Please insert the appropriate style tags to eliminate these unsightly blank areas. Apachegila ( talk) 11:52, 18 April 2011 (UTC) reply

I don't see any issues with my browser. Could you please identify the images? Postoak ( talk) 14:59, 18 April 2011 (UTC) reply

East End

WhisperToMe ( talk) 09:12, 4 November 2011 (UTC) reply

West End

WhisperToMe ( talk) 04:58, 11 June 2012 (UTC) reply

Robert Durst

There's no mention at all of Robert Durst on this page, who is arguably more well known then anyone listed in the "famous residents" section. I'd add it myself if I knew how, but this guy brought more attention to Galveston then the storm. Him not being in the article makes the article feel unfinished. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.13.5.124 ( talk) 00:28, 16 March 2015 (UTC) reply

Winter Galveston

Welcome Winter Texans! Now that you've escaped the cold winter by heading south, it's island time! Galveston Island's tropical climate and breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico provide the relaxing escape you've been longing for. Yet, you'll feel right at home with the small town culture and southern hospitality found on this historic island. galveston winter — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.197.220.7 ( talk) 05:21, 5 March 2017 (UTC) reply

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. — Community Tech bot ( talk) 16:22, 24 June 2019 (UTC) reply

Juneteenth

Trying to educate myself and I was surprised that there's no mention of Juneteenth on this page. jezmck ( talk) 19:37, 20 June 2020 (UTC) reply

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. — Community Tech bot ( talk) 15:22, 3 July 2022 (UTC) reply

Issue

I noticed that the 1915 Galveston hurricane has no mention in this article. I think it should be mentioned. 2600:4041:474:D00:78B7:EA91:4E9F:63CC ( talk) 20:11, 20 December 2022 (UTC) reply

Galveston is not the largest suburb of Houston, and the comment is not even footnoted

I can name three suburbs of Houston right off the bat that are bigger than Galveston: Conroe; Sugar Land; Pearland. Why go on? There are probably half a dozen more, at least.

In fact, as a former Houstonian, I can tell you that Galveston has never been considered by the vast majority of Houstonians even to be a suburb of Houston, so I don’t know where the writer got this information. 63.155.110.98 ( talk) 12:48, 18 February 2023 (UTC) reply

Ghost culture

Galveston ghost culture is mentioned but not explicated. What is it? Kdammers ( talk) 23:00, 17 June 2023 (UTC) reply

Highest estimate of 1900 Hurricane death toll (anomaly)

Why does the estimated maximum figure for deaths in the Galveston Hurricane read 12,000 (without citation) but say 8,000 (with citation) in the subsection on the Hurricane in the History section? It needs reconciling somehow. Cloptonson ( talk) 19:36, 23 August 2023 (UTC) reply