Old Galveston Custom House and Courthouse - 20th and Post Office - Galveston, Texas

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👂Listen: Texas Heroes Monument
👂Listen: Quick History of Galveston
👂Listen: Port of Galveston
👂Listen: The Great Fire of 1885
👂Listen: The Battle of Galveston
👂Listen: Kuhn's Wharf
👂Listen: The Hendley Building

Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
Custom house: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/galveston-custom-house
Battle of Galveston: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/galveston-battle-of

Transcript:
Also known as The United States customs house and courthouse was formerly the customs house, post office, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and later for the Southern District of Texas. The first customs house in Galveston and Texas, predates this one by 3 decades. While Mexico still maintained control of Texas, a customs house was established in 1830, a few years after the port was officially founded. As Once Texas won their independence and the United States gained control of Texas, Galveston’s population and significance developed through the 1840’s and 50’s, The Port was recognized as one of the most important U.S. ports as the United States began to spread West towards California. The ease of access to a protected, deep water port and proximity to the frontier transformed this small sandbar into a thriving city and a means of taxation by the federal government. By the late 1850's, The Galveston Port and Business community was focused on wholesale commerce. Galveston was the main pass-through for all goods imported into Texas and dispersed into the Indian territory, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Tariffs were collected by the federal government on all goods that entered into Texas.
The United States congress approved the funds for the customs house in 1855 and construction began in 1860. The building was built at an unprecedented pace and completed in 114 days. That’s a little under 4 months.  During the Civil War, the confederate army utilized the building as their headquarters as it was one of the few brick and iron buildings on the Island at the time. However, by 1863, Union and Confederate resources were strained. Neither side could truly claim Galveston as their own. In 1862, the Union Navy arrived in Galveston and easily took the city. Whichever side had control of this city, took control of the customs house. The Customs house was placed on the National register of Historic places in 1970. Original steel and brick. 
The building was an active courthouse until 1937, when the courts and customs were moved to Rosenberg Avenue.