Tag: family history

Standing on the Seawall

How many thousands upon thousands of people have strolled along the Galveston Seawall since it was first constructed in 1902 is hard to imagine. We would probably be surprised at the numbers, or the celebrities, or even villains who have strolled along the wall, looking out over the sand and the sea.

But for me, walking with Heidi was a moment that I desired for a long time. I wanted to stand there, look out over the sea with her, just as my grandfather had once done with my grandmother. And perhaps, as my father had done with my mother. The sea wall, the soft sand, the pitiful waves, are part of my family history. Not a huge part, but a part nonetheless.

We stood, looking over the pitiful waves, feeling the wind on our faces, watching the sun set. It was a moment, where history came together, along with the love the LORD had given us. Words fail me…

 

All photos are copyright © Timothy J. Hammons, 2024. 

My Father’s House

Back in March 2014, my father took me and my boys down to Galveston, TX, and we were able to tour the house where he was born and grew up on Ball Street. The house was built before the 1900 hurricane (the worst hurricane in U.S. history) and most recently survived Hurricane Ike. It’s a well-built home.

The family lived in this house until after World War II when they moved to Houston.

Childhood Bedroom

Out on the balcony, my father told us that this was where his bedroom was growing up. It was closed in, but not with much which made the winter’s especially hard. The cold, wet winds off the gulf in the winter can be brutal.

 

1940’s Hurricane

The house was hit by a hurricane in the early 1940s, but since there was a war going on, most people don’t know about that one. My dad told the story that they were sitting down to each lunch after church on Sunday, when the chimney came crashing through the roof into the room where they were eating (see photo above of him pointing up at the ceiling where the chimney fell through.) He was about 12 at the time. He said his father calmly suggested they take their food downstairs and finish lunch. My dad wanted to make sure and get some of the fried chicken, so he grabbed two chicken legs, and stuffed them in his pockets and went down stairs to eat.