COME TOUR THE BISHOP'S PALACE IN GALVESTON W/ ME....

The Bishop's Palace is also known as Gresham's Castle. I read that if you can only tour one mansion in Galveston...this is the one to see. So C.J. and I went....

There are 2 winged lions that 'guard' the entrance.

Look at all the carving! It must've taken FOREVER! The house was built between 1887 & 1893. I never saw so much stained glass in one building!

The front doors from the inside. The American Institute of Architects has listed the home as one of the 100 most significant buildings in the U.S. and the Library of Congress has classified it as one of the 14 most representative Victorian structures in the nation.

The house has lots and lots of fireplaces.

This house survived the 1900 storm. Six thousand people died in that hurricane. The Gresham's home sheltered 100's of Galveston citizens.

This thingie is SO interesting. The basket was a place for tossing your calling card. Beautiful carved piece!!

The house has 4 floors and was built for $250,000...which in today's money would be 5.5 million dollars.

Loved all the paintings on the walls.

That's Ol' Mr. Gresham in that B&W photo.

Mrs. Gresham painted these cherubs on the ceiling. She had an art studio in the attic. The Gresham's had 9 children.

Sorry for the flash/glare.

They offer 2 guided tours per day but we preferred the audio-phone-type tour. You can go at your own pace and not in any particular order. This is the front foyer.

Stained glass, stained glass and more stained glass.

Guess what? MORE glass!!

This is on the stair well going up the 2nd floor.

Somebody loved lions and cherubs.

The house has pretty balconies.

In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston bought the house for Bishop Byrne and made one of the bedrooms into a chapel.

The chapel. The Bishop's church was right across the street from the mansion.

Ceiling of the chapel. The house was opened to the public in 1963. This tour was the best ten bucks I ever spent.