History

The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on 21 April 1836, ended the Texas Revolution. Sam Houston’s force of roughly 900 men surprised Santa Anna’s army of similar size at their encampment near the confluence of the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou, achieving complete surprise during the Mexican midday rest. The battle lasted fewer than twenty minutes; Texas independence was secured the following day when Santa Anna, captured while attempting to escape in civilian clothing, signed the Treaties of Velasco. Texas became an independent republic and, nine years later, the 28th state of the Union.

Planning for a permanent monument on the battlefield began in the late 1920s, and a centennial commission was established by the Texas legislature to coordinate a suitable commemoration. The monument was designed in an Art Deco idiom, attributed to architect William C. Hedrick, — an octagonal concrete shaft faced in Texas limestone, tapering slightly as it rises, and crowned with the distinctive 34-pointed star. Construction began in 1936 and the monument was dedicated on 21 April 1939, the 103rd anniversary of the battle. A museum and research centre occupy the base, with a café and observation deck accessible by elevator inside the shaft.

The USS Texas — one of the few surviving World War I-era battleships — was moored adjacent to the monument for decades as a museum ship and is currently undergoing restoration.