As a major gateway for immigration, Galveston Island was the port of entry for hundreds of thousands of people coming to America from 1845 to 1924. Forgotten Gateway considers the importance of place in the immigrant experience—tracing the history of Galveston Island as it changed from a small harborage for sailing vessels, to a major cosmopolitan steamship and railroad hub, and back to a nearly abandoned immigrant station—and explores universal themes of immigration including leaving home, encountering danger, confronting discrimination, and navigating bureaucracy.

Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island, based on the major exhibition of the same name developed by the Bullock Texas State History Museum and guest-curated by Dr. Suzanne Seriff, independent museum curator and senior lecturer of anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin. Forgotten Gateway is presented in partnership with Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The exhibition will be available for viewing in the exhibit gallery at the Katy & E. Don Walker, Sr. Education Center from May 16 to July 2, 2023.

Photo credit:  Federal Immigration Station, Pelican Island, Galveston, ca. 1913. Courtesy the Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.