The interactive tour app, offered by the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, allows visitors to customize the itinerary based on interests and time allocation. If taken in full, the tour contains 22 stops and lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.
To access the tour, visitors can either download the Visit Galveston app on Android or Apple devices or visit the website at https://galveston.visitwidget.com and use the search bar to type in “African American History Tour.”
The tour provides knowledge about the island’s many historically Black institutions and monuments celebrating Black accomplishments, according to a media release. As the birthplace of the national holiday Juneteenth, Galveston Island holds a significant place in United States history, and the city is also home to the first historically Black secondary school and public library in Texas, per the release.
Other notable historical markers include that Galveston is the hometown of World Heavyweight Champ Jack Johnson and is home to more than a dozen historically Black churches, many of which were firsts for Texas.
National Park Service officials are studying a 51-mile stretch of land from Galveston to Houston for potential selection as one of just two trails in the country honoring Black history. Click here to read more about the trail study and how local communities will be involved in the process.
