Backstory and Context
When Beatrice put the home up for sale, there were many interested buyers. Among those buyers were Libby Moody and William Lewis Moody Junior. William was the son of a Civil War veteran who was a successful mercantile and owned a lot of cotton businesses. In the year 1900, a devastating hurricane hit the island of Galveston which resulted in many deaths. Many homes and businesses were destroyed in this storm. The Moody Mansion survived the storm. However, because of the storms devastating effects, many bidders pulled their money out the bid because they feared another storm would occur and destroy everything again.
Because most of the buyers pulled their money out of the auction, William Lewis Moody, Jr. won the house for a grand total of $20,000, which was a fifth of what the property was worth.1 Soon William Lewis Moody Jr would have a successful career and his businesses would end up venturing out five decades later, impacting the development of Galveston’s economy due to many charitable foundations known as the Moody Foundation and the Mary Moody Northern Endowment. These charitable foundations grew to $1.197 billion and created many grants for the state of Texas. In 1986, the Willis-Moody Mansion was turned into a historical museum that displays the Moody’s lives and their successes.2
Today, it is a historical museum that is open to the public and the hours of operation are from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The rooms are filled with furnishing and personal items of the family. The legacy of the Moody family carries on to this day with many charitable foundations that are impacting health care, education, and historic preservation. 2
1Carraro, Francine. "The Moody's of Galveston and Their Mansion (review)." Oral History Review. July 15, 2011. Accessed November 27, 2018. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/445438/summary
2Andy1. "The Moody Family Story." Moody College of Communication. January 25, 2017. Accessed November 27, 2018. https://moody.utexas.edu/about/moody-family-story.