< Previous38 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 HOMEPORT decades ago, remembers the feat of installing it. The stairs arrived in one massive piece, attached to the steel frame of the house, and had to be lowered into place by crane before the rest of the structure could go up. Now, the staircase rises like a sculpture, framed in glass and bathed in daylight. The main living floor spreads out around a large, airy living room where 16 oversized windows bring the outdoors in. A floating hearth with an electric fireplace anchors the space beneath a large television. Remote-controlled shades line the walls of glass. “These shades each take 16 batteries, but I like the easy up and down,” he said. The payoff for all that effort? Panoramic sunsets over the bay each evening. Inside, the home is a study in white: white walls, white and tan furnishings, and pale honed limestone floors that make the rooms feel even larger. The palette keeps things serene, while high ceilings open the space without creating echoes. “I don’t hear an echo when my dogs are barking,” Webster said. The kitchen has the same clean aesthet- ic. White oak cabinets wrap around sleek quartz counters. An induction stovetop sits flush in the island, where three barstools invite casual dining. A wall-mounted double oven and a refrigerator big enough to get “lost in,” as Webster joked, line the walls. A small dining area, tucked into another stretch of windows, looks out over the water. The primary bedroom, like much of the home, is designed around the sky. A clerestory window over the bed captures the sunrise each morning. “It’s like my alarm clock,” Webster said, describing how the room slowly floods with light. The suite includes a walk-in shower, a soaking tub and a closet the size of a small room. Four more bedrooms and two bathrooms fill the upper floor, each overlooking the living room below. A stainless-steel guardrail PHOTO: COU r T e SY AND re W ST r AN e PHOTOG r APHY PHOTO: COU r T e SY T e XAS 96 PHOTOG r APHY (Left, from top) The home’s defining feature is its soaring spiral staircase — steel wrapped in oak — that climbs three stories inside a wall of windows; installing the staircase was a feat because it had to be lowered into place by crane before the rest of the structure could go up, architect David Mullican said. COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 39 PHOTOS: COU r T e SY T e XAS 96 PHOTOG r APHY (From top) The living area features 16 oversized windows and a floating hearth with an electric fireplace beneath a large television; the kitchen features white oak cabinets, quartz countertops and a massive island that houses an induction stovetop; the dining area features views of the water and deck access.40 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 HOMEPORT wraps the balcony, giving the space a cruise- ship feel. Above, clerestory windows add even more daylight. A wet bar is tucked into one corner, and three of the bedrooms have private balconies. The home’s small elevator makes one last stop at the roof. From there, Webster shows off his favorite feature: 360-degree views of Tiki Island, the bay and the Intracoastal Waterway. “This view — I can never get tired of it,” he said. Down below, the yard stretches into the water. A lap pool offers exercise, while a wide dock wraps around three sides of the property. At night, green underwater lights shimmer, drawing fish and casting a glow that’s especially striking when seen from the roof or the upper boathouse deck. COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 41 Even the four-car garage joins the party, with doors that open to the patio for addi- tional entertaining. “Sometimes, I even put my car in the garage,” he said. Life on Tiki Island comes with small- town warmth. “People are so nice here; they sure love their golf cart parades,” Webster said. “But I don’t need to go anywhere. I get to live down the street from my brother in paradise. Not bad.” (From far left) The clerestory window over the bed in the primary bedroom captures the sunrise each morning; the primary bathroom features a walk-in shower and a soaking tub; the lounge area near the lap pool offers plenty of space for entertaining guests. PHOTOS: COU r T e SY T e XAS 96 PHOTOG r APHY201445thStreetOpenDaily ExperiencetheenchantmentofChristmasat Tom’sThumbbyCornelius!Ourtalenteddesignersarehere tohelp-fromexpertdesignadvicetocreatingcustompieces thatperfectlysuityourGalvestonhomeandholidaystyle. Unique LIFE-LIKE CHRISTMAS TREES &Décor44 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 FEATURE A TABLE TRADITION Each Thanksgiving, a large family feasts with His Majesty story by LAURA PENNINO | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS B ack in the 1960s, Lee and Joe Ann Moynahan were twenty-some- things who were living in Spring with their six young children. Thanksgiving celebrations Lee and Joe Ann originally hosted for their nuclear family of eight have expand- ed since then to include as many as 70 to 75 family members. Joellyn Moynahan, who is the proprietress of Carr Mansion, 1103 33rd St. in Galveston and the eldest child of Lee and Joe Ann, said her parents had many siblings on each side. They realized early in their life that they would, at some point in the future, assume responsibility for hosting the annual Thanksgiving family feast. Knowing that large families tend to grow even larger over the years, Lee and Joe Ann decided to plan ahead for hosting their two sets of parents, their aunts and uncles, their siblings and significant others, their siblings’ children, their own young children and their future spouses, and their future grandchildren and great-grandchildren. That decision led Lee and Joe Ann to purchase Johnson Brothers His Majesty high-quality earthenware in about 1967. And they purchased a lot of it, Joellyn said. Johnson Brothers introduced His Majesty in 1955 in England. Resem- bling fine China, His Majesty features a regal tom turkey spreading his tail feathers in the center, surrounded by a border of fruits, berries, nuts and vegetables. The pattern was discontinued in 1983. Replacement and pre-owned pieces still can be purchased online. Joe Ann passed away in 2022. Lee, 85, continued to host the family celebrations at his home in Spring until this year. For the first time since the 1960s, the annual Moynahan family Thanksgiving gathering will be held on Galveston Island. Joellyn and her daughter, Jennifer Moyna- han, are gearing up to host 40 or more Moynahan family members on Thanksgiving Day at Carr Mansion. As of this year, Lee designated Joellyn — his only daughter — as the caretaker of the Moynahan family’s His Majesty collection. The family collection includes more (Right) Jennifer Moynahan, from left, her mother, Joellyn, and grandfather, Lee, will use the family’s collection of Johnson Brothers His Majesty dinnerware, featuring a regal tom turkey. A turkey, smoked courtesy of Koop’s BBQ Kitchen in Galveston, sits on one of three matching platters the family uses for Thanksgiving celebrations. COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 4546 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 FEATURE than 170 pieces, with four-piece place settings for 40 people, three large serving platters with His Majesty — the turkey king himself — prominently featured and several other matching pieces. “Our Thanksgiving celebrations have kept getting bigger and bigger over the years,” Jo- ellyn said. “Last year, we had about 50 at my dad’s house for Thanksgiving Day. Using His Majesty is a tradition that is very important to our family. My dad believes that every family member should be eating the Thanksgiving meal using His Majesty’s plates, even if that family member is only 2 years old.” Having many, rather than few, at mealtime was commonplace for the Moynahan family. Joe Ann was known for welcoming all the kids in their neighborhood for meals and refreshments, Joellyn said. “A meal she prepared for me and my five brothers quickly expanded to a meal for 12 kids since we were active in sports and other school activities,” she said. “Friends were always over at our house after school and on weekends.” Meal planning for the 2025 Moynahan Thanksgiving holiday feast includes an extra-large oven-roasted turkey — 20 to 24 pounds — and a smoked duck prepared by Joellyn’s father, a fried turkey prepared by her brother Neal Moynahan and Joe Ann’s favorite recipes now prepared by Joellyn and Jennifer. “We always have an abundance of side dishes, desserts, wine and other assorted drinks for adults and kids,” Joellyn said. “My dad loves honey-baked ham, so we always have that, too. Dad has shared my mom’s handwritten recipes for her blackberry cob- bler, turkey cornbread dressing, and sweet potato and bacon side dish. Other family members have started making and bringing different types of cobblers. I always make a Brussels sprouts and radish dish that every- one loves. Someone always picks up about 5 gallons of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream to serve with the cobbler.” The atmosphere is always casual and fun with a pause before everyone begins devouring their much-anticipated holiday favorites, she said. “We start by going around the dining room, person by person, saying what each of us is grateful for,” Joellyn said. “If a family member doesn’t want to comment, we move on to the (From top) The Moynahan family’s place settings of Johnson Brothers His Majesty dinnerware from the late 1960s feature a regal tom turkey with a border of fruits, nuts and vegetables; Lee Moynahan shows the signature marking on the back of a Johnson Brothers His Majesty plate. He and his late wife, Joe Ann, in 1967 began collecting place settings of the pattern for hosting large family Thanksgiving celebrations. COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2025 47 SINCE1995,SOUTHLANDTITLE HASPROUDLYSERVEDTEXAS WITHTRUSTEDSERVICE, STRONGRELATIONSHIPS, ANDLOCALROOTS. THANKYOUFOR30YEARSOF SUPPORT—WELOOKFORWARD TOMANYMORE. 3 Celebrating Years next person. Then one of our family members leads us in a prayer,” Joellyn said. This year, the Moynahan family Thanks- giving celebration will have a historical, Gal- veston Island vibe at the carefully restored 19th-century Greek Revival mansion. Joellyn and Jennifer will decorate with fresh flowers and will prepare the Carr Mansion ball- room, which was added to the original 1866 house sometime in the 1890s — to seat 40 to 45 family members. Or maybe 50 or 60. JOE ANN MOYNAHAN’S CORNBREAD DRESSING Serves: 8 5 cups cornbread, broken apart into pieces 4 cups bread cubes, toasted 1½ cups chicken broth 1½ cup butter, divided 1 medium onion, chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 ⁄ 3 cup parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 2 eggs, beaten Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400 F and spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray, set aside. Toast bread cubes on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through to ensure even browning. Crumble cornbread into pieces and place it in a large bowl. Add toasted bread cubes and chicken broth. Stir gently to combine. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and celery, and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add sautéed onion and celery to cornbread mixture. Melt remaining butter and pour it over the mixture. Add parsley, thyme, salt and pepper, stirring gently to combine. Whisk eggs and fold them into the cornbread mixture. Stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to greased baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy. Let the dressing cool slightly before serving.Next >