By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Did you know the writer of Robert’s Rules of Order once served on the advisory team that helped build Galveston’s Seawall? Henry Martyn Robert was an engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers, and that is how he came to play a role in the historic construction of Galveston’s Seawall.
The little-known but fascinating connection between Robert’s Rules of Order and Galveston is one of 84 entries in Christine Ruiz Hopkins and Heidi Lutz’s newest book, Secret Galveston: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.
The Galveston authors have teamed up in the past to write about the city they love, but saying they love Galveston is an understatement. The ladies are head-over-heels in love with the island.
Their excitement for Galveston can be felt throughout the book. Page after page, readers are presented with information in an upbeat and easy-to-read style that draws them in and makes them want to experience the weird and wonderful places and stories contained in the book.
Beyond Robert and his rules, readers will also find some of the darker chapters of Galveston’s history, such as details about the infamous killer Robert Durst and the Galveston house he once occupied.
On a far more cheerful — and lesser-known — note, readers can learn about the Nottingham Lace Factory, which once produced beloved lace items on Galveston’s West End.
The ladies said writing the book together was a true collaboration. In the beginning, the project was simply an idea — an idea that required creating a list of stories and locations they wanted to include.
“She had to convince me to use the Durst story, and I had to convince her to use the Nottingham story,” said Lutz.
As I sat chatting with them, they were in person just as lively and engaging as they are in print. They comfortably filled in for each other’s thoughts without pausing, their voices occasionally overlapping with excitement.
Once the list was completed, Christine made her choices about what she would research and write.
“I’m a reporter,” said Heidi. “I can write about anything, so I was okay with letting Christine choose first.”
Christine is a native Galvestonian, and even she discovered new things about her hometown while working on the book.
“Some of the stories I didn’t even know about,” said Christine. “There are so many things you might pass by and never realize their significance.”
There are only a handful of stories that are widely known, such as the USS Texas battleship and Moody Mansion. Embedded within those familiar stories are details the ladies uncovered that many readers likely have never heard before.
Reading Secret Galveston is both a historical experience and an in-the-moment experience, which Christine said was one of the things she loved most about the book.
“I love the connection between our history and what’s happening now,” she said.
For instance, the historic Purity Ice Cream shop was once located at the corner of Postoffice Street and 12th Street. The old Purity Ice Cream sign still anchors the history of the location where the shop once stood, but the ice cream is now made at La King’s Confectionery on Strand Street.
If you read the book, you can discover how Purity Ice Cream recipes were transferred to La King’s, and you can also learn more about the generous spirit of Purity Ice Cream’s original owner. Speaking of dairy products, readers can even learn about the inventor of condensed milk, who once called Galveston home.
The words seem to dance across the pages, inviting readers to explore Galveston’s eccentricities in a lighthearted yet thoughtful manner. With 84 richly detailed stories uncovering the island’s hidden history, Secret Galveston offers something to delight residents, visitors and history enthusiasts.
