Book Signing: Saturday, July 15th, 2017, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Kimber Fountain will join us Saturday with her history of the island’s seawall and the boulevard that runs its length.

Along Galveston’s Gulf Coast runs a seventeen-foot-high, ten-mile-long protective barrier, built in response to the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The seawall remains a stoic protector more than a century later, shielding the island from much more than physical destruction.

As the foundation of Seawall Boulevard where motorists and beach-goers enjoy an unobstructed view of the Gulf, this structure created an entirely new tourism industry that buoyed the city’s economy through war, the Great Depression and hurricanes. Adapting to the cultural trends and political movements that defined the past century, the seawall represents the unbreakable spirit of Galveston’s resilient population and provides a fascinating glimpse into bygone times.


Kimber Fountain is the editor-in-chief and feature writer for Galveston Monthly magazine and serves as chairperson of the Arts and Historic Preservation Advisory Board to the Galveston City Council. She can also be found on stage at the Island East-End Theater Company. Ms. Fountain resides in Galveston.