{"nrhp_refnum":"78002930","name":"ELISSA","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Seawolf Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Galveston","county":"Galveston County","state":"TX","lat":29.33509088900007,"lon":-94.77764036399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-21","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1990-12-14","areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Maritime History","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A square-rigged, three-masted iron barque built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland, by Alexander Hall & Sons. At the time of nomination she was in Piraeus, Greece, awaiting restoration, with a permanent mooring planned at Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that ELISSA is one of the last survivors of the sailing ships that once served American commerce, and is typical of the vessels that made Galveston a major cotton port. After restoration she would reputedly be the oldest operational sailing vessel in the world and the third oldest merchant sailing ship afloat. She visited Galveston in 1883 and 1887 and was bought by the Galveston Historical Foundation in 1975 because of that link to the port.","narrative":"Built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland, by Alexander Hall & Sons, ELISSA is a three-masted iron barque about 200 feet long. Her hull used iron that was still a fairly new material for sailing ships. Over some 100 years she carried varied cargo to more than 100 ports on six continents and sailed under six flags, being renamed several times. She first reached Galveston in December 1883 and left for Liverpool with Texas cotton in early 1884, returning in 1887. Later alterations added engines and removed masts, turning her into a motorship. The Galveston Historical Foundation bought her in 1975 and planned to bring her back across the Atlantic from Greece, restore her original rig and moor her at Seawolf Park as the focus of a maritime museum. She was nominated as one of the last working links to the Age of Sail and to Galveston's role as a leading cotton port.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Alexander Hall & Sons","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good; heavily modified over time and awaiting a two-phase restoration, first re-rigged as a barquentine for the Atlantic crossing, with full restoration to follow once funds allow. Planned for use as a museum.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.802459-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/9720/40972058/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002930.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002930/e5931bb94b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002930/e5931bb94b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Roadell Hickman;","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elissa-ship.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Roadell Hickman;</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elissa-ship.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972058","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elissa_(ship)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1143837"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/galveston-county/elissa-78002930/"}