Lafitte’s steps climb into Galveston’s blue sky, and lead to one of the island city’s favorite legends.
The pirate Jean Lafitte was the first to bring notoriety to the barrier island, but not the last. With a fresh pardon as payment for his service at the Battle of New Orleans, Lafitte set up a lucrative smuggling business on Galveston Island in 1817. James Bowie was a customer.
Lafitte’s colony on the island grew to around 2,000 living in hundreds of homes and warehouses. The most opulent of the structures was Lafitte’s home, Maison Rouge.
In 1821, the U.S. Navy arrived to shut down the nefarious enterprise. Lafitte admitted defeat, burned the community, and sailed away into Gulf legend to survive for generations through the stories of his virtues and vices. Unsuccessful treasure hunters have scoured the sands looking for the riches that Lafitte left behind.
The closest thing to a surviving marker of Lafitte’s existence on Galveston Island is a set of concrete steps that he never walked on. In the 1870s, a house was built over the remains of the pirate’s wine cellars. The house’s weathered front stairs and basement walls mark the spot.
Lafitte’s steps are at 1417 Harborside, in a pocket park flanked by a yellow house and a metal shop. Breaks in the fence around the park allow easy access to the stairs and the chance to stand where the most famous Gulf Coast pirate once stood.
1,216th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips,” is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
This article appears in November 14 • 2014.
