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Sixteenth-century Spanish explorers knew Galveston Island as Isla de Malhado, the "Isle of Misfortune," or Isla de Culebras, the "Isle of Snakes." In 1519, Juan de Grijalva discovered the island. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, accompanying the Narváez expedition in 1528, was shipwrecked on what may have been Galveston Island, and is credited with naming the island Malhado. In 1685 French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, challenged Spanish control in the area and may have named the island San Louis for Louis XIV of France, but did not establish settlements. Eighteenth-century Dutch buccaneers may also have visited, but these explorers, like later revolutionaries and privateers, left little evidence of their passage. In 1783 José Antonio de Evia, a Spanish navigator, surveyed the channel and named the bay Galvezton for Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez, who befriended the United States in the Revolutionary War. Jean Laffite, who was appointed governor of Galveston Island by the Republic of Mexico, established a community at the site of the present Sealy Hospital in Galveston; he named it Campeche after a town on the Yucatán coast. The fort he constructed in 1817 lasted only a year before it was destroyed by a storm, but by 1819 "Campeachy," in Anglo settlers' orthography, had a population of between 1,000 and 2,000. The island maintained its designation under the Spanish as San Luis for a time, but had become known as Galveston Island by 1820. During the revolution, Texans fortified Galveston and the Texas Navy berthed in its port. The ad interim government under David G. Burnet took refuge on Galveston Island in April, 1836, and made Galveston the temporary capital of the new republic. Galveston County was formed in 1838 under the republic from Harrisburg, Liberty, and Brazoria counties and organized in 1839. The first county courthouse, at Saccarappa, a community named for a river in Maine by settlers from that state, was located at the eastern end of Galveston Island. -Handbook of Texas Online |
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This list contains or will contain all post offices known from Texas. Noted also are whether recent offices have had at least one precancel type, as listed in the Precancel Stamp Society's Town and Type Catalog of the United States and Territories, Sixth edition, Summer 1998, and from Fosters' personal knowledge. A link is provided to detailed precancel data for that location. The precancel device(s) may or may not still exist. An * indicates a discontinued post office or name change. Pester the active post offices so that devices can be retained or ordered. They may be found many times, but only have to be thrown away once. Precancel devices are not usually issued to branches, stations or contract post offices. Please see plans page for color legend. |
| Post Office | Zip / * | Established | first precancels Authorized | Discontinued | Notes |
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| BACLIFF | 77518 | yes | operating | ||
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| DICKINSON | 77539 | yes | operating | ||
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| FRIENDSWOOD | 77546 | yes | operating | city in Galveston-Harris Counties, post office in Galveston County, Main Office, 310 Morningside Dr, M-F 8-5 Sat 9-1, 281-992-2832 | |
| FRIENDSWOOD | 77549 | ||||
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| GALVESTON | 77550 | yes | operating | ||
| GALVESTON | 77551 | ||||
| GALVESTON | 77552 | ||||
| GALVESTON | 77553 | ||||
| GALVESTON | 77554 | ||||
| GALVESTON | 77555 | ||||
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| GILCHRIST | 77617 | none | operating | ||
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| HIGH ISLAND | 77623 | yes | operating | ||
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| HITCHCOCK | 77563 | yes | operating | ||
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| KEMAH | 77565 | yes | operating | ||
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| LaMARQUE | * | yes | name changed to La Marque | ||
| LA MARQUE | 77568 | yes | operating | name changed from LaMarque | |
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| LEAGUE CITY | 77573 | yes | operating | city in Galveston-Harris Counties, post office in Harris County? | |
| LEAGUE CITY | 77574 | ||||
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| Port Bolivar | 77650 | yes | operating | ||
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| Alta Loma | * | yes | 1/21/1978:HTOL or 12/31/1982:G&J | incorporated into Santa Fe city limits and changed PO name to Santa Fe | |
| Arcadia | 77517 * | 4/14/1891:Schmidt | 12/31/1982:G&J | town absorbed into Santa Fe in 1980s | |
| SANTA FE | 77510 | 1/1/1983 | yes | operating | name changed from Alta Loma |
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| SEABROOK | city in Harris-Chambers-Galveston Counties, post office in Harris County | ||||
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| TEXAS CITY | 77590 | yes | operating | city in Galveston-Chambers Counties, post office in Galveston County | |
| TEXAS CITY | 77591 | ||||
| TEXAS CITY | 77592 | ||||
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cy / galvesto.htm links on page=___ last updated 3/31/2006 |
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Website page design and content Copyright ©2000-2006 John C. Foster and Texas Precancel Club - All Rights Reserved. Awards images are the property of the respective award program owners and used with permission.