.....Jean Lafitte is perhaps Galveston's most famous resident pirate. He came to the island in 1812, after having been pressured by the U.S. Government to leave his previous haven, Barataria Bay near New Orleans. Although he did not actively attack U.S. ships, he did prey upon Spanish and English vessels, thus creating antagonism between those two countries and the U.S. Government for harboring such a fugitive.

.....So he came to the eastern end of Galveston, which back then was known as Isla de San Luis and the eastern point was Pointe de Culebras (Snake Point). At that location, he founded a small village of which he chose the name Campeachy and built a house that he named the "Maison Rouge" or "Red House." He allegedly ruled his island haven with an iron fist. He continued his privateering exploits until again driven from the island in 1821 by the U.S. Government. Upon leaving he burned the town to the ground, loaded up his gold and left into a sea of rumors about his further exploits. Some say his treasure is buried on Galveston Island or hidden up any of several rivers and streams around Galveston Bay. There are accounts of dredges occasionally coming up with gold or silver in the spoils as they work on the shipping lanes of Galveston Bay

.....At this location, there is a foundation, however it is that of a later house referred to as the "12 Gables", built by a sea captain named Hendricks. It is believed to have been built on the same site as Lafitte's original Maison Rouge. It is surrounded by a chain link fence which was erected in the 1960's to stop treasure hunters from digging up the site.

.....There is a wonderful article on the life of Jeanne Lafitte that you can read on line at the Cornell University Library site. Try this link by clicking here to get to the on-line document "Littell's Living Age, Volume32, Issue 407, March 6, 1852.

Drawing of the '12 Gables' house by Emil Bunjes around 1935