James and Bridget Nash House - 2406 Church Street - Galveston, Texas
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English - October 07, 2021 16:00 - 2 minutes - 1.68 MBHistory Society & Culture Places & Travel galveston texas history audio tour free island education texas history historic Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
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Transcript:
The James and Bridget Nash house is located at 2406 Church Street and is one of the few remaining side hall townhouses in the Galveston downtown district. Many buildings in this immediate area reflect the city's commercial growth from the Strand to Postoffice street toward Broadway and 25th Street.
The home was built in 1875 and retains a high level of structural and architectural integrity. Which is rare, considering it's in an area with many altered historic homes and buildings. The house was one of the last properties owned by prominent Irish immigrants and early Galveston residents James and Bridget Nash. James and Bridget arrived in Galveston from Ireland in 1841 when Texas was still an independent republic.
In 1842, James opened a small private academy, extended to both boys and girls, and advertised the following in publications around the island. Quote "Every attention shall be paid to the moral and literary improvements of children entrusted to his care." Many successful Galveston businessmen of the late 1800s were indebted to Nash for their quality education and superb writing skills.
After the death of both James and Bridget, the house was inherited by a son-in-law in 1902, sold, and used as a boarding house and rental house until 1934. The house was purchased by Greek immigrants Steve and Irene Safos. They lived in the house with their three children. The Safos family was active within the Greek community of Galveston. They owned the Two Bit Cafe and a liquor store at 11th Street and Seawall. Irene operated the liquor store while Steve ran the cafe.
The home remained in the Safos family until 1991 and then was sold. The house fell into a state of disrepair and was purchased once again in 2019. This time, the home was fully renovated to its Galveston heyday glory. Don't let the renovations fool you; the house retains original siding, trim, windows, doors, and hardwood floors. The entryway to the h