U.S.S. Texas
Rosenberg Treasure of the Month
During the month of February, Rosenberg Library will exhibit items related to the naval battleship U.S.S. Texas.
Commissioned in 1895, U.S.S. Texas was the first American battleship built by the United States government. She was named in honor of the state of Texas. The battleship Texas was outfitted with the most sophisticated armaments of the day and was designed to optimize defensive strength.
Early in her history, U.S.S. Texas gained a reputation as an unlucky ship due to a string of mishaps including grounding, flooding, and crew deaths. The multitude of accidents earned her the nickname “Old Hoodoo.”
The battleship made several visits to the Port of Galveston during the late 19th century, including a visit in February 1897. Thousands flocked to the island to tour the vessel and attend a variety of festivities. Governor Charles Allen Culberson presented U.S.S. Texas with a silver service on behalf of the citizens of Texas. Living up to her cursed reputation, the vessel ran aground on a mud bank while in Galveston and had to be pulled out with a tug before leaving the port.
Historic image of the first S.S Texas
(Galveston and Texas History Center Collection)
Despite some initial setbacks, U.S.S. Texas proved to be an effective naval battleship, successfully blockading the coast of Cuba during the Spanish-American War. She was decommissioned in 1911 when a new naval battleship—the second U.S.S. Texas—was being built. That vessel served during both World War I and World War II. The second U.S.S. Texas was decommissioned in 1948 and was converted into a museum located along the Houston Ship Channel near the San Jacinto Battleground. She was the first naval battleship to be declared a United States Historic Landmark.
Ribbon badge and souvenir button from the U.S.S. Texas visit to Galveston in February of 1899.
(Gift of C.H. McMaster)
Brass plaque from the structural firing bridge of the second U.S.S. Texas, 1912
(Gift Of Mollie R. M. Rosenberg)
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Rosenberg Library
Rosenberg Library has offered over a century of community service to the Galveston area, and is the oldest public library in Texas in continuous operation. The building itself was dedicated on June 22, 1904, the birthday of its patron, Henry Rosenberg. The Moody Memorial Wing opened in 1971, more than doubling the floor space and allowing for a children’s library, a history center, several galleries to showcase museum collections, and later, a computer lab. The Library accepted its first museum piece shortly after it opened in 1904. Since then, thousands of rare and interesting objects from around the world have been added to the collection. Each month they display a “Treasure of the Month”. Learn more by visiting the Rosenberg Library page and the Gifts of Henry Rosenberg section.
