| Bill
Cherry's Galveston Memories |
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By
the time the Korean Conflict was going strong in the early 1950's,
Galveston’s
Trinity Episcopal Church was 109 years old, and it and its congregation
had been through a lot together.
Twice after this Gothic-Revival style church was designed and built
by Irish architect and master builder, John De Young, a massive fire
broke out a few blocks away, each time destroying more than a hundred
buildings and barely missing the church. And then the famous 1900
Storm came along and blew down the whole south wall of the church,
and filled the inside with the salty gulf water. More than six thousand
people drowned. Many were congregants of this church.
Nevertheless, those who survived raised the money to rebuild that
wall, brick by brick, and then the entire church was jacked up several
feet by hand screw jacks, one inch at a time, and then dredge material
from the bay was pumped under it. |
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Trinity Episcopal
Church - The south wall blown down as the result of the 1900
Storm.
Photo courtesy Bill Cherry |
World
War I Victory Parade passing the Trinity Episcopal Church in 1918
Photo
courtesy Bill Cherry |
And there had
been the casualties of three wars – the Civil War, and the two World
Wars. Through it all, the members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston
kept their faith.
But then only five years after Trinity’s losses in World
War II, once again it was shipping its young overseas to fight,
some being injured; the less fortunate, dying. This one was called
the Korean Conflict.
During
the Lenten season of 1953, nearly three years after the conflict had
begun, the members of this church made a decision. They would hold
a vigil 24 hours a day throughout Lent. The church would never close.
At least one church member would be in the nave of the church, praying
for peace.
People on the streets, at whatever the time, could come in and pray
for an end to the Korean Conflict, too.
At 10 PM on the April 4, 1953, the Saturday night before Easter, my
daddy, W.W. Cherry, came in there to take over the very last shift
before the glorious Easter services were to being on Sunday. Daddy
had just turned 44 years old.
About 5 o’clock Easter morning, the brass cross at the altar began
to glow, and within mere moments it was shining as brightly as if
it were in a spot light. But the only manmade light in the huge church
was coming from two candles. |
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Trinity Episcopal
Church Tiffany Window
Photo courtesy William Henry Morgan |
William W. Cherry
Photo courtesy Bill Cherry |
My daddy went
to investigate, and found that there was a small BB hole in this stained
glass window way up here at the back of the church.
The rising sun was shining at just the right intensity and the BB
hole was providing just the right aperture. The sun’s rays were lighting
the cross, and only the cross, and it was at least 100 feet away.
Daddy thought it was the perfect end to the Lenten vigil and the beginning
of Easter morning.
Daddy said that he knew God had heard the prayers, and that peace
would soon be restored. Sure enough, shortly thereafter peace came
into sight and then the armistice of the Korean Conflict was signed.
It was June 30, 1953, just 86 days after Easter.
Bill Cherry's Galveston
Memories April
8, 2011column
Copyright William S. Cherry. All rights reserved |
Galveston
Galveston Hotels
Bill
Cherry, a Dallas Realtor and free lance writer was a longtime
columnist for "The Galveston County Daily News." His book, Bill
Cherry's Galveston Memories, has sold thousands, and is still
available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com and other bookstores.
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