GALVESTON, Texas – A Guinness World Record title could be coming to Galveston Island.
The title for world record is for a rather... quirky... reason.
“We’re attempting to get into the Guinness World Record Book for the longest walkway,” said Mary Beth Bassett, the public relations manager for Visit Galveston, the island’s tourism bureau.
Galveston could be home to the world’s longest continuous walkway.
The Galveston Seawall will be measured by adjudicators on Saturday, September 6 - just days before the 125th anniversary of the 1900 hurricane nicknamed ‘The Great Storm.’
The storm remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, killing more than 8,000 people and wiping out much of Galveston.
In its aftermath, city leaders launched one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the era: the Galveston Seawall.
“The seawall was built to protect. And that’s exactly what it’s done for well over 100 years now,” said Will Wright, the chief creative officer with the Galveston Historical Foundation. “t’s the largest civil engineering project in US history. So, it took a disaster to build something that would combat that in the future.”
Construction began in 1902, with engineers designing a massive concrete barrier 17 feet high and 16 feet thick at its base.
To further protect the island, workers also raised the grade of the city itself, in some places lifting homes and buildings by more than 10 feet while dredged sand was pumped underneath to elevate the ground.
The Seawall proved its worth during the 1915 hurricane, which was similar in strength to the 1900 storm but claimed far fewer lives.
Over time, the barrier was extended in phases, and today it stretches more than 10 miles, standing as both a hurricane defense system and one of Galveston’s most recognizable landmarks.
The top of the seawall is also home to what could soon be the world’s longest continuous walkway, measuring 10.3 miles of nonstop pavement.
To mark the storm’s anniversary, Visit Galveston is inviting 8,125 people — one for each life lost — to form a human chain along the Seawall.
“We just want to show that we’re united in Galveston’s strength to just keep on going after a deadly natural disaster like that,” Bassett said.
Here’s the schedule for the event on Saturday, September 6:
- 8:45 a.m. – Line-up along the Seawall
- 9:00 a.m. – Photo opportunity and drone flyover
- HG9:30 a.m. – Ceremony at the Great Storm Statue (located in front of the San Luis Resort) with remarks by the Mayor and other community leaders
Participation is free and open to all ages, but registration is required. You can sign up here.
Attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes, bring water and plan for rain or shine.
Parking along the Seawall will be free until 10 a.m.