Galveston Firefighters Return to House they Saved Last Year – the 1868 H. C. Schmidt House – Oldest Home on Galveston Historic Homes Tour's Final Weekend (May 9 and 10)

The crew of frefighters who saved one of Galveston's oldest homes last year from a roaring blaze returned Wednesday, May 6 to the house to look at the work Galveston Historical Foundation has done to bring it back to life as a featured home on this year's Galveston Historic Homes Tour --which continues this weekend, Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The H.C. Schmidt House, built in 1868, is located at 1524 Avenue K in Galveston.

The firefighters, members of Galveston Fire Department's B Shift, toured the house Wednesday, May 6, surveying the work that Galveston Historical Foundation has been able to do to stabilize the house after the fire department's rapid response and success in saving the house from the blaze on February 8, 2008.

Ten houses, dating from 1860 to 1904, have been chose this year’s Galveston Historic Homes Tour. Each of the houses has suffered a calamity to some degree or another. Some are survivors of the Great Storm of 1900, others of the flood waters of Hurricane Ike. Still others have survived fire, collapsing foundations and tornados. Reconstruction is complete on some and ongoing on others. This weekend will be the final weekend these homes will be open to the public.

Galveston Historic Homes Tour tickets are available through the Galveston Historical Foundation website www.galvestonhistory.org or by calling 1-877-77CLICK. Tickets are $25, or $15 for Galveston Historical Foundation members. (Member tickets are sold only at GHF Headquarters, 502 20th Street.) Call 409-765-7834 for more information.