The Houston Chronicle covers the beginnings of cleanup efforts in Galveston with an emphasis on the church buildings there, many of which date back to the 19th century. Workers set about wringing out carpets and turning on fans to exhaust the moisture from the buildings, helping to save them from the secondary damage that can be wrought by mildew and mold. Among those churches is Trinity Episcopal, which also withstood a nasty hurricane that hit the island in 1900.
When Galveston formally reopens to residents Wednesday, many will return to homes devastated by a storm that trampled the island and left behind a pervasive film of sea, sewage and debris.
But they will also return to houses of worship, many of which stand on wobbly legs.
Though the churches and synagogues hold an important place in the lives of their members, those such as Trinity Episcopal also hold a spot in Texas and local history.
“Galveston has an extraordinary wealth of religious architecture from the 19th century,” said Stephen Fox, co-author of Galveston: Architecture Guidebook (Rice University Press, $17.95). “In addition, there is a very architecturally significant array of more modest church buildings, especially those associated with African-American congregations.”
Last week, most churches remained closed on near-empty streets with tree limbs, dried-up driftwood, waterlogged furniture and caked mud that cracked underfoot like ancient eggshells. Members of some churches and synagogues gathered in hotels, basketball courts and sanctuaries without power for weekend services.
Others such as First Baptist Church and Trinity Episcopal started the work of cleaning up, flinging doors open to exchange heavy, moist air with breezes and dehumidifying machines that buzz overtime to save any interior woodwork that withstood the initial trauma.
Story, with quotes from the Rev. Ron Pogue, rector of Trinity, here.