For Immediate Release
October 23, 2008
Contact: Molly Dannenmaier
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Galveston Historical Foundation, 409-765-7834

GHF's Historic Rental Venues Back Up and Running

Just one month after Hurricane Ike, Galveston Historical Foundation's wedding/reception rental business was up and running again. The first wedding and reception to be held at a Galveston Historical Foundation property post-Ike was on Saturday, October 11 at the 1880 Garten Verein German dancing pavilion at 2704 Avenue K, one of Galveston's most popular nuptial venues. The couple that held their marriage ceremony and reception there were Katie Baker and Shelton Schriber. Last weekend, on October 18, a second post-Ike wedding and reception were held at Garten Verein.

The first functions at Ashton Villa ballroom will be November 15 and November 16, although the house museum section of Ashton Villa remains closed indefinitely after extensive flooding during the hurricane. Ashton Villa is the oldest mansion on Broadway, the only one dating from the antebellum era. It was built in 1859 and is located at 2328 Broadway.

St. Joseph's historic church will have its first post-Ike wedding on November 8. St. Joseph's is the oldest German Catholic Church in Texas and the oldest wooden church building in Galveston. It was built in 1859 by German immigrants.

Galveston Historical Foundation's rental venue manager Vicki Amundsen is booking events through 2009 and 2010 at all the locations mentioned above as well as at the 1838 Michel B. Menard House, Galveston's oldest residential dwelling, located at 1605 33rd Street.

For more information about Galveston Historical Foundation's historic rental venues, go to www.galvestonhistory.org and click on “Rentals.” Or call Amundsen at 409-765-8687.