History of Galveston, Texas (1891), and the first school for nurses (1890). Galveston was also home to the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in Texas. In 1839, Rome created the prefecture apostolic of Texas, which was later elevated to a vicariate apostolic on July 10, 1841. Then, on May 4, 1847 Pope Pius IX approved the creation of the Diocese of Galveston and named St. Mary's Church the Cathedral for the entire state of Texas. During the mid 19th century, Galveston, though not a large city by world standards, emerged as an international city with immigration and trade from around the U.S. and around the
History of Galveston, Texas Lewis Moody, Jr., a member of one of Galveston's leading families, founded the American National Insurance Company. Two years later, Mr. Moody would further invest in Galveston by establishing the City National Bank, which would later become the Moody National Bank. A military facility by the US Army Coastal Artillery on Galveston Island was established in the late 1890s and construction, which was disrupted by the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, was completed in the early 1900s, with the facility being named Fort Crockett in 1903. During the First World War, Fort Crockett served as a US Army artillery training center.