|
 The Italian Vault - Calvary Cemetery, Galveston, TX Posted by:  jhuoni
N 29° 16.358 W 094° 49.823
15R E 322175 N 3239580
The entrance to Calvary Catholic Cemetery is off of 65th Street, there is no access to the cemetery from 61st Street. This is the largest of the four mausoleums located here.
Waymark Code: WM10JB0
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/14/2019
Views: 1
Mythic Galveston: Reinventing America's Third Coast By Susan Wiley Hardwick ( visit link) (Page 107-108) "The building known as the Italian Vault provides evidence of the ongoing importance of Italians in the cultural landscape of Galveston. In 1992 the San Giovanni Italian-American Association of Galveston dedicated the Italian Vault in a service held at Calvary Cemetery on Sixty-fifth Street. This beautiful funeral building was constructed in 1888 by a group of the earliest Italians settling in Galveston. The original effort to construct the vault, to provide a final resting place fro Galveston's less fortunate Italian residents, was led by the city's Italian consul, Clemente Nicoloni, who came to Galveston from Italy in 1884."
History:
The Texas Historical Marker here states:
Attracted by economic opportunities to be found here, a large number of Italian immigrants came to Galveston in the 19th century. In 1876, they formed the Italian Mutual Benevolent Society (Societa'Italiana di Mutuo Soccorso) to provide assistance to fellow immigrants. The society purchased a plot of land in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in 1888 and built this mausoleum, known as the Italian Vault. The structure exhibits Gothic style influences in its buttresses, gargoyles, and Corinthian columns flanking the entrance.
The vault provides space for twelve crypts. It served as a permanent or temporary resting place for more than 70 deceased members until burial could take place in the cemetery. A number of Italian immigrants are interred in plots surrounding the mausoleum. Buried in this cemetery are Captain Clemente Nicolini, a member of the original vault building committee and a former Italian consulate who aided many immigrants; and Gioacchino Cassara, the first president of the Italian Benevolent Society. The vault also was used by members of the later organized Italian society, Stella d'Italia, and finally the Sons of Italy.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992
Visiting Hours/Restrictions:
Daylight hours
Address:
2506 65th Street
Galveston, TX USA
77551
Website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Post a minimum of at least one picture, Gps not required. Explain experience of visit.
|