Judge Theodore R Robinson - Seawall West End Extension - Galveston, TX
Posted by: 
Raven
N 29° 15.534 W 094° 50.395
15R E 321224 N 3238073
The West End extension of Galveston's famous seawall was completed in 1962 and dedicated to Judge Theodore R. Robinson, Galveston County Judge in the early 40's and 50's.
Waymark Code: WMMGXJ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2014
Views: 5
Listed in the US National Register of Historic Places, the 17-foot tall Galveston Seawall in Galveston, TX was built after the devastating Great Storm of 1900 to protect the city from future hurricanes. It is a series of huge concrete forms curved like skateboard ramps so that waves fall back on themselves, with a pile of granite slabs ("rip-rap") sitting in front of the sea wall to help break the impact of the waves.
Construction began in 1902 and the initial segment was completed in 1904. Several modifications and extensions were made afterward, but its overall length halted and remained constant at 7 miles -- from the East end of the island westward up until 61st Street -- starting June 1927.
The protection which this new seawall afforded meant that the city could grow and expand Westward once again, leaving its latest addition -- the West End district -- perilously exposed to future storms.
In 1943, the former Galveston County Judge Theodore R. Robinson (b. 1901 - d. 1961) spearheaded an effort to extend the seawall and dedicated a extenstive portion of his time while in office petitioning for federal funds. In 1950, 7 years after the initial fundraising efforts began, Congress finally authorized an extension of the seawall by another 3 miles.
Even with the funding now in place, the Korean War delayed construction of the 3-mile extension by the Federal government, so Galveston County -- once again under the leadership of Judge Theodore R. Robinson -- undertook construction of the first mile of the seawall itself, completing it in 1953. The last two miles were then finally constructed by the US Government between 1858 and 1962... Unfortunately Judge Robinson -- who had dedicated a great portion of his life to the cause -- never saw the project's completion.
A memorial plaque is placed on an incline at the top of the Galveston Seawall's West End, right where the "first mile" ends and the "next two miles" begins. It reads:
"1958 -- IN GOD WE TRUST -- 1962
DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF JUDGE THEODORE R. ROBINSON
GALVESTON COUNTY SEA WALL AND BOULEVARD
-----
Constructed with Galveston County and Federal funds
Galveston County Commissioners Court
Peter J. La Valle, County Judge
Irvin P. Dantin, First Precinct
Jimmy Vacek, Second Precinct
Paul Hopkins, Third Precinct
Jack Lawrence, Fourth Precinct
John R. Platte, County Clerk
Fred Cook, County Engineer
-----
Constructed by Corps of Engineers, United States Amry, Galveston District
Contractors:
* Texas Gulf Construction Co, Inc. (Galveston, Texas)
* Gulf States Marine Constructors, Inc. (Dallas, Texas)
* Cage Brothers (San Antonio, Texas)
Location: N/A
Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Add another photo of the memorial. You and/or your GPS can be in the photo, but this isn't necessary.