Beginning September 27, 2023, Brenham Heritage Museum will present 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.
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.
The exhibition will be available to the public from September 27, 2023 to November 22, 2023.
For more information about viewing hours or to arrange group visits, contact Brenham Heritage Museum at 979-830-8445.
THIS PROGRAM MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY A GRANT FROM HUMANITIES TEXAS, THE STATE AFFILIATE OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES.
