The Construction Source America

4 | Mitchell Historic Properties dustrial ingenuity. After establishing an en- ergy development corporation, he went on to invent new techniques for extracting nat- ural gas and oil from shale deposits. Those innovations ultimately led to commanding of respect, attention and imitation from the best and brightest of his industry that today recognize George Mitchell as “The Father of Fracking.” Yet, in Galveston, Texas, Mitchell commands esteem as a leading City Father, and something of a savior, but to be sure, such notoriety isn’t simply foisted on Mitch- ell, for this affection extends to his late wife, Cynthia, their children and an enterprise known as Mitchell Historic Properties. Mrs. Mitchell brought her own flair and style to the restoration projects and was widely re- garded for her keen attention to detail. To share that story, it seems fitting to note par- ticular irony that Mitchell’s ancient name- sake, Phidias, was never able to spare his greatest creations (the Parthenon or Statue of Zeus) from the ravages of time and natu- ral disaster. But when it comes to protect- ing, preserving and promoting appreciation for structures deemed architecturally and historically significant, this may be George Phydias Mitchell’s greatest legacy. As one of the oldest cities in a state that once existed as a nation unto itself, the histo- ry of Galveston is as rich and diverse as that of early guests of its famed Tremont Hotel, which throughout the 1800s, catered not only to the fabulously well-to-do, but to wild men akin to Buffalo Bill. In the heyday of its port operations, Galveston was the pivotal point by which the vast majority of all goods traveled to-and-fro the SouthwesternUnited States, making it a focal point for other wild men in the form of pirates whose dubious exploits were so resistant to any constraint from authority that for a time, the area be-