Originally inhabited by members of the Karankawa and Akokisa tribes, the Texan island of Galveston, a close neighbor to metropolis Houston, was once a haven for pirates. Named in honor of Bernardo de Gálvez in 1785, the city's first permanent settlements were constructed around 1816 by pirate Louis-Michel Aury as a base of operations. The next year, Aury returned to Galveston from a defeat at the hands of the Spanish and found the city occupied by piratical rival Jean Lafitte.
Photo credit: Galveston, Texas (Lee Deforke/courtesy, Galveston Convention and Visitors Bureau)
