Charles W. Adams arrived in Galveston in 1839 with cargo. Soon discovering the lack of a customs broker, he was forced to remain on the island and actually sell his own cargo. But it wasn't long before Mr. Adams fell in love with the Galveston that was. Adams strongly believed that Texas should remain its own country, and became a commissioned colonel in the Texas army. And when the Civil War broke out, he was asked to be an officer in the Confederate army. He declined, thinking he could do more good on the homefront. Mr. Adams opened the first flour mill in Texas, and started coffee trade between Rio de Janeiro and the island of Galveston, which was the only Confederate port in operation at the close of the war. Rose Hall was originally built by Adams facing 23rd Street or Tremont, as seen in the illustration. After surviving the 1900 Storm, the house was rotated to its current position, facing the Gulf of Mexico. Now restored to her original glory, Rose Hall proudly serves Galveston as a beautiful Antebellum Bed and Breakfast, a glorious reminder of Galveston's finest hour.