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The Battle of San Jacinto was fought at this site on April 21, 1836. The Texian army consisted of approximately 935 men under the command of General Sam Houston. The Mexican army consisted of approximately 1,250 men under the command of Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna.
The Battle began at approximately 4:30 p.m. when the Texians, advancing under cries of “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” attacked the Mexican encampment. The Battle lasted just 18 minutes, although the slaughter continued for hours. Only nine Texans were killed or mortally wounded. Mexican soldiers killed numbered 630. More than 600 Mexican soldiers were taken prisoner.
The Battle of San Jacinto avenged the massacre of Texan soldiers at the Alamo (March 6, 1836) and Goliad (March 27, 1836), and gave Texas its independence from Mexico. The Battle also opened the door for the westward expansion of the United States.
Groundbreaking: March 27, 1936
Dedication: April 20-21, 1939
Architect: A.C. Finn
Construction: W.S. Bellows Construction Co.
Cost: $1.5 million
Height: 567.31 feet
Weight: Approximately 70 million lbs.
The San Jacinto Monument was constructed between March 27, 1936, and April 21, 1939, as a memorial to all those who fought to win the independence of Texas. Efforts to design and construct the memorial were led by Houston businessman Jesse H. Jones. The Monument is the tallest masonry column in the world. It is more than 12 feet taller that the Washington Monument. It weights approximately 70 million pounds. The star atop the Monument, which symbolizes the Lone Star State, is 34 feet tall and weighs approximately 220 tons. The Monument is faced with Texas Cordova shellstone, a type of limestone noted for its creamy color and fossilized texture. The friezes around the base of the shaft depict eight important episodes in the history of the Republic of Texas. The carvings were designed by William McVey.
The San Jacinto Museum was chartered in 1938 to “preserve and revisualize the history of early Texas.” The Museum’ s collection spans more than four centuries of early Texas history, from the beginnings of European activity in the New World through Texas as a state in the United States. Emphasis is on colonial Texas as a part of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the early days of statehood. The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library houses a collection of more than 250,000 documents and manuscripts and 30,000 volumes of rare books and pamphlets.
The Jesse H. Jones Theatre for Texas Studies and the Museum’s presentation Texas Forever!! The Battle of San Jacinto opened in October, 1990.
TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW with a San Jacinto staff member for contribution on pieces involving not just San Jacinto, but the Texas Revolution and Texas history in general, please contact us. For other useful information when covering the San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield, check out these sections of the site:
