The deadliest storm in U.S. history—the 1900 Galveston hurricane—set the foundation for the development of Friendswood’s first educational facility. The hurricane claimed the lives of an estimated 8,000 people, according to the National Hurricane Center; however, no deaths were recorded in Friendswood. The hurricane did down thousands of trees in the Quaker farming settlement of Friendswood, which had a population of 80 at the time, according to the Friendswood Historical Society. “We were just a little speck in the country out there,” Friendswood historian Joycina Baker said. “I don’t think that Galveston even knew that we were on the map.” One of the earliest structures in Friendswood was also lost in the storm. “There was a very small cabin building that they used for church,” Baker said. “It wasn’t an academy at the time. It was blown completely away in the 1900 storm.” The founders of Friendswood, Quakers Frank J. Brown and Thomas Hadley Lewis, included an academy in the original plans for the colony in 1895, according to the Friendswood Historical Society. The Galveston hurricane made landfall on Sept. 8, 1900. Plans—including establishing a building committee assigned to provide updates on construction progress—and proposed materials for the academy’s development were approved Oct. 27, 1900 at Friendswood’s monthly meeting. The destruction caused by the hurricane provided the means to begin constructing Friendswood Academy, which also doubled as the town church. “They had a sawmill down on the creek, and they made use of the trees that were felled by the storm,” Baker said. “That’s what they built their academy church and school building with.” Friendswood Academy was completed and opened in 1902. It was a two-story building with high ceilings, Baker said. The church occupied the first floor and school—which grouped all grades together—was held on the second floor. Tuition the inaugural year was $1.50 per month, according to the historical society. The academy provided education for all grades until 1914 when it became a parochial high school. It served as a high school until 1928 and remained a church sanctuary until 1949. A larger stone building has since replaced Friendswood Academy at 502 S. Friendswood Drive.