Along Galveston's Gulf Coast runs a seventeen-foot-high, ten-mile-long
protective barrier--a response to the nation's all-time deadliest
natural disaster. The seawall remains a stoic protector more than a
century later, shielding the island from much more than physical
destruction. As the foundation of Seawall Boulevard, this structure
created an entirely new tourism industry that buoyed the city's economy
through war, the Great Depression and hurricanes. Adapting to the
cultural trends and political movements that defined the past century,
the seawall represents the unbreakable spirit of Galveston's resilient
population and provides a fascinating glimpse into bygone times.