On September 13, 2008, Hurricane I covered most of Galveston Island in a tidal surge
which ultimately led to the demise of thousands of the city's trees, including 100-year-old
oaks that line Broadway Boulevard in the city's east end historic district.
Happily though, since then, a group of sculpture artists have breathed second life into something
mother nature attempted to destroy, in the form of incredible tree sculptures.
Whimsical sculptures have replaced the majestic oaks that once lined many neighborhood streets
and shaded homes.
These unbelievable tree sculptures are there for the public to enjoy.
Look for the birds of Galveston on Sealy, or the pot of dolphins and mermaids at 902
Wall Street, which represents the children and mother of the family who live in this
home.
The Tin Manin Toto seems to be a big hit.
If you take a drive down Winnie, there's a good chance you will see someone taking a
photo of the duo.
The sculpture is a tribute to King Viter, one of the original directors of the Wizard of
Oz, and is located at his childhood Galveston home.
You'll see more than bunnies while peeking through the backyard of 1701 Post Office, where
the sculpture of an angel cradling a bunny stands as a sign that this bed and breakfast
is a bunny sanctuary.
And fashionable for every season, the Great Dane sculpture at 1228 Sealy is decorated for
every holiday and faces the gulf guarding the house from future storms.
These sculptures and many more were carved by various area artists, including Galveston's
own Earl Jones.
If you're lucky, you might find one of them making their next masterpiece.
After Hurricane Ike when we had lost 40,000 trees, it was something to come home to see
them dead and know that you wanted something carved.
That's when we found sculptors and made decisions as homeowners as to what we wanted carved.
I chose the geisha.
I have made several trips to Japan.
I've been fascinated with the Orient for most of my life.
I lost all of my Japanese artifacts, souvenirs, books, furniture after the storm or during
the storm, so she's going to take me back someday.
A brochure and map of the sculptures can be downloaded at galveston.com slash tree sculptures.
Or you can stop by the visitor's center at Ashton Villa at 2328 Broadway Boulevard and
pick a brochure up.
If you prefer a guided tour, Galveston Island Tours offers East End Historic District tours
every Saturday morning on its solar-powered shuttle bus.
You can visit galvestonislandtours.com for details.
Whether you take the guided tour, jump on a bike, take a walk or drive through the neighborhoods,
just be sure to have a camera.
Share your shot of the great day and or the pelican holding a fish with your friends on
Facebook.
It's a great way to spread the word that Galveston Island is a resilient community that a little
saltwater could not take down.
You can also visit galvestonislandtreeconservancy.org to find out how you can help re-grain the
island.
The Conservancy has been the leading force to see that Galveston Island's neighborhoods
are replanted.
When driving down Broadway, check out all of the new trees planted in the median.
Good luck with your tour!
We hope you find the dolphin, guitar, squirrel, geisha or whichever sculpture you were hoping
to see.
