File:Galveston Historical Foundation.jpg

English: This building is the Galveston Custom House, also known as the "Old Customhouse," a Greek Revival-style two-story red brick structure constructed between 1858 and 1861. Some believe it was the first Galveston building designed by an architect.

The building was completed on the eve of the Civil War. It was used only briefly before the outbreak of the war, when it was turned over to the Confederacy. During the conflict it probably took shelling during the battle of Galveston in 1863 and was the site of a "bread riot" initiated by wives of absent Confederate soldiers who stormed the building demanding flour. On June 2, 1865, Union forces took symbolic possession of the site by raising a flag, and the war officially ended here three days later. A new customhouse was built in 1891, and the old structure subsequently housed Federal offices, served as a post office and a Federal Court House. It is in the National Registry of Historical Places.

Today is houses the historical society. In 1871, twelve men formed the Galveston Historical Society to preserve the history of Texas by collecting important documents. The group and its archive grew, but in 1880, the secretary died, telling no one where to find the collection. In 1885, the Society found it and placed it in the care of Phillip C. Tucker, Jr., and his son. Interest in the group waned, but in 1894, new energy led to its reorganization as the Texas Historical Society. New members included Rabbi Henry Cohen and Elbridge G. Littlejohn, as well as several women. They began storing the collection, most of which had been salvaged after Galveston's tragic 1900 storm, at the Rosenberg Library in 1906. In 1931, they gave the library full ownership.

After several inactive years, the Society was resurrected in 1942 under its old name and turned to preserving historic landmarks, publishing a booklet in 1951 of the island's significant homes. In 1954, one of those homes, the 1830s Williams-Tucker House, was threatened. The Society, unable by its charter to acquire property, formed a new group, the Galveston Historical Foundation, which purchased the home and restored it. In 1958, the two groups merged as the Galveston Historical Foundation. Over the next 50 years, the group saved buildings and helped establish historic districts, including The Strand, one of the largest extant Victorian business districts in the South.

After celebrating its 130th year in 2001, the nationally acclaimed foundation continues its leadership role in revitalization, museum operation, education, property management and preservation advocacy.