Treasure of the Month

“Such a library as ours would not only contain books and current periodicals,
but there would be…articles of historic, scientific, and artistic interest.”
~ Frank C. Patten, Head Librarian of Rosenberg Library, 1904 – 1934

The Library accepted its first museum piece shortly after it opened in 1904. Since then, thousands of rare and interesting objects from around the world have been added to the collection. Displayed in these pages are the Library’s “Treasures of the Month.”

During the month of December, Rosenberg Library will exhibit a silver service presented to John H. Hutchings by the Galveston Wharf Company in 1874. The silver set was a recent gift of Julie Hutchings Bennett and John H. Hutchings, Jr.

Born in North Carolina in 1822, John Henry Hutchings came to Texas as a young man in search of economic opportunity during the 1840s. After forming a partnership with merchant John Sealy in Sabine, both men came to Galveston in 1854 and became associates of George Ball. The trio founded Ball, Hutchings, Sealy, and Co. (later called Hutchings, Sealy, and Co.) While at first the firm was engaged in the mercantile business as well as banking, it eventually focused only on banking and commission.

During the Civil War, Hutchings and his associates relocated to Houston after Union troops took control of Galveston’s port. From that location, Ball, Hutchings, Sealy, and Co. transported arms and other military goods for the Confederacy via blockade-runners. When the war ended, the company returned to Galveston and continued to operate a bank at the corner of Strand and 24th Street. After the deaths of both George Ball and John Sealy in the 1884, John Hutchings became the firm’s senior member.

In addition to managing Ball, Hutchings, and Company, John Hutchings held numerous positions in the community. He was a director of the Galveston Gas Company; the Southern Press Manufacturing Company; the Galveston City Company, the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway; the Galveston, Houston, and Henderson Railway; the Galveston Cotton Oil Company; the Texas Land and Loan Company; and the Galveston Insurance Company. He also served as President of the Galveston Wharf Company for many years, and under his leadership, many improvements were made to the harbor entrance and bay front. Hutchings was instrumental in establishing a new line of steamships between Galveston and New York. Likewise, he negotiated a settlement over a long-disputed claim to the title of the Galveston wharf property. For this particular achievement, he was presented with the silver service now on display at Rosenberg Library.

Hutchings married Minnie Knox in 1856, and the couple had nine children. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church. He died in 1906 at the age of 84.

The Treasure of the Month is located on the Library’s historic second floor near the East Entrance. It can be viewed during regular library hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, please contact the Museum Office at (409) 763 – 8854 ext. 125.