The Old City Cemetery

While some might find it strange to visit a cemetery while on vacation, many visitors to Galveston agree that this one is well worth a stop. While it was on the outskirts of town when first plotted, the Old Galveston Cemetery, part of the Broadway Cemetery Historic District, is nowadays right in the middle of the city. You may well pass by on your way into Galveston, or as you’re headed to other attractions, so why not stop and pay your respects to the ancestors of this great city?

Seven Cemeteries in One

The seven burial grounds of the Broadway Cemetery Historic District date from 1839 to 1939, and reflect differences in the social status, manner of death, and ethnic origins of the individuals interred there. Old City Cemetery is, as its name suggests, the oldest amongst them and contains some obelisks and above-ground vaults belonging to the city’s wealthier inhabitants. At the other end of the economic spectrum, there’s a Potter’s Field, where the poorest citizens were buried, typically without grave markers.

Several of the cemeteries have religious affiliations, including the Catholic, Episcopalian, and Hebrew burial grounds. There are also particular areas where unfortunate victims of the Great Storm and the city’s yellow fever epidemic were interred.

Though the cemeteries may primarily be of interest to history buffs and graveyard aficionados, they become extremely popular with photographers in the month of May. That’s because they typically bloom with a beautiful profusion of yellow wildflowers, and many families come to take family portraits here, highlighting the poignant connections between life and death.

Galveston Graveyard Tours

If you prefer to know more about the graveyard you’re visiting, consider taking a tour from an expert guide. There are several small companies offering these types of tours, and they’re a great way to learn about some of Galveston’s most fascinating residents. You’ll learn about some of the fine, upstanding citizens who made Galveston what it is today, as well as hear stories about some of its more notorious individuals, like Lizzie Alberti, who murdered four of her own children and was eventually buried alongside them. A tour is an excellent chance to ask your Galveston questions to an expert city resident, who will be happy to answer them. And who knows? You just might capture a photo of a ghost!

Come experience the peace of Galveston’s past here in the Broadway Cemetery Historic District!

Broadway Cemetery Historic District

Broadway & 43rd Street

Galveston, TX