Elissa’s 147th Birthday Party

She’s come a long way in her 147 years! The Official Tall Ship of Texas, the 1877 ELISSA annual birthday party, returns to our Galveston Historic Seaport. Your ticket includes complimentary craft beer courtesy of Saint Arnold Brewing, food, custom birthday cake, live music from Houston’s Buxton, and a shipload more from us at #GalvestonHistory.

To sweeten the celebration, one lucky attendee will win a spot to sail onboard ELISSA in April 2025!

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• COMING SOON!

GIFT DONATIONS

Keeping this historic vessel actively sailing takes thousands of manhours and volunteers. You can help with that work by considering a donation. Donation boxes will be on site for those wishing to contribute. Elissa has also created a “Wish List” of items below. If you choose to bring a gift for ELISSA, you are welcome to an early admission at 6:30 PM and a complimentary champagne toast at 6:50PM in the Elissa Room upstairs above the Ship to Shore Museum.

Can’t make it? You can still donate here by selecting “Get Tickets” and clicking the “Donation” button.

GIFT IDEAS

Gift Certificates to – HOME DEPOT, Jamestown Distributers, Hamilton Marine, and Harbor Freight.

ABOUT THE 1877 TALL SHIP ELISSA

Galveston Historical Foundation brought ELISSA, an 1877 square-rigged iron barque, from a scrapyard in Piraeus Harbor, Greece to Galveston to begin restoration work in 1978. By 1982, GHF staff and volunteers completed restoration and transformed this rare, historic vessel into a floating museum that would actively sail. Today, the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA is one of only three ships of her kind in the world to still actively sail and welcomes over 40,000 visitors annually. She also serves as the Official Tall Ship of Texas, a National Historic Landmark, and a symbol of the Gulf Coast’s historic beginnings as a seaport and active waterfront. The 1877 ELISSA, a Tall Ship for Texas, welcomes visitors at the Galveston Historic Seaport. Experience Galveston’s maritime history daily.

ABOUT GALVESTON HISTORICAL FOUNDATION

Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) was formed as the Galveston Historical Society in 1871 and merged with a new organization formed in 1954 as a non-profit entity devoted to historic preservation and history in Galveston County. Over the last sixty years, GHF has expanded its mission to encompass community redevelopment, historic preservation advocacy, maritime preservation, coastal resiliency, and stewardship of historic properties. GHF embraces a broader vision of history and architecture that encompasses advancements in environmental and natural sciences and their intersection with historic buildings and coastal life and conceives of history as an engaging story of individual lives and experiences on Galveston Island from the 19th century to the present day.