The Galveston Wharves is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year with three big events in October, all hosted by the port and funded by bicentennial sponsors, including presenting sponsors Carnival Cruise Line; Royal Caribbean International and Callan Marine.

Events include a free party on the pier presented by Royal Caribbean, Friday, Oct. 17, at Pier 21 and the 200th anniversary gala presented by Carnival Cruise Line, with entertainment presented by Callan Marine, Saturday, Oct. 18, at Galveston Island Convention Center.

Galveston is also publishing a 140-page, hardcover book in collaboration with Galveston Historical Foundation. The commemorative, limited-edition book will recount the Port of Galveston’s history of pirates, naval battles, riches, and resilience.

Rodger Rees, port director and CEO, said in a prepared statement: “Thanks to the generous support of our 34 anniversary sponsors, we’re celebrating our 200th birthday and recognizing our many port partners in a big way, with net proceeds funding maritime scholarships at Texas A&M University at Galveston.”

The port kicked off its bicentennial celebration on May 22 with its annual National Maritime Day event presented by Wallenius-Wilhelmsen, with vessel tours, including a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, and a ceremony at Pier 21. More than 300 people, including dignitaries, student groups and port partners, were said to have attended the free event.

The Port of Galveston was established by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, while the land known today as Texas still belonged to Mexico. The port has operated as the Galveston Wharves since 1940, when it became a city entity.

Today, the 840-acre port is a commercial center with infrastructure and assets to serve growing cruise, cargo and commercial businesses. The port is the fourth largest cruise home port in the U.S., hosting five major cruise lines and moving more than 3.4 million cruise passengers a year.

The port also leases and maintains a wide range of cargo facilities on the deep-water Galveston Harbor, which is ranked among the top 40 busiest U.S. cargo waterways.

Photo: An 1894 view of the Galveston Wharf Company’s Grain Elevator A and bales of cotton stacked on the dock awaiting shipment. By the end of the 19th century, Galveston was the nation’s leading port for cotton shipments and tied with New Orleans as the third-ranked grain cargo shipping center in the U.S. (Photo courtesy Galveston Historical Foundation)