San Jacinto Monument Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
San Jacinto Battlefield
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property

The San Jacinto Monument in 2007
San Jacinto Monument Location in Texas
Location	Harris County, Texas
Nearest city	Deer Park, Texas
Area	455 acres (184 ha)
Built	1939
Part of	San Jacinto Battlefield (ID66000815)
Designated NHLDCP	October 15, 1966

The San Jacinto Monument is a very tall column in Harris County, Texas, close to Houston. It stands on the Houston Ship Channel. This monument has a huge 220-ton star on top. It celebrates the Battle of San Jacinto, which was a super important fight in the Texas Revolution.

The monument was built between 1936 and 1939. It opened on April 21, 1939. It's the tallest stone column in the world! It's part of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. For example, the Washington Monument is a bit shorter. The San Jacinto column is shaped like an octagon. It has a 34-foot-tall Lone Star at the very top, which is a symbol of Texas. You can ride an elevator to the top of the monument. From there, you get an amazing view of Houston and the Battleship Texas.

Inside the monument's base is the San Jacinto Museum of History. This museum teaches you about the Battle of San Jacinto and the history of Texas. The whole San Jacinto Battlefield area, including the monument, is a special place. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960. This means it's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also recognized as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1992.

Building the Monument
What the Monument Looks Like
The Story on the Monument
Images for kids
See also

Building the Monument

People in Texas wanted to remember the heroes of the Texas Revolution. In 1856, the Texas Veterans Association started asking the state government for a memorial. In the 1890s, money was set aside to buy the land where the battle happened. After checking the exact spot, land was bought in 1897 for a new state park. This park became the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas also pushed for an official monument. Jesse H. Jones, who helped plan the Texas Centennial Celebrations, had an idea. He wanted a monument to honor all Texans who fought in the revolution. Architect Alfred C. Finn and engineer Robert J. Cummins designed it.

Construction of the San Jacinto Monument began on April 21, 1936. This was exactly 100 years after the Battle of San Jacinto. The first stone was placed on April 21, 1937. The monument was finished two years later, on April 21, 1939. Jesse H. Jones and Andrew Jackson Houston, the last living son of Sam Houston, were there for the opening. The project cost $1.5 million. Both the Texas government and the United States Congress helped pay for it.

Since it opened, a non-profit group called the San Jacinto Museum of History Association has managed the monument. In 1966, the monument came under the care of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. However, the history association still helps manage it.

The monument has been updated several times. It was fixed up in 1983. In 1990, the base was rebuilt to hold the San Jacinto Museum of History and a theater. The outside of the monument was renovated again in 1995. The whole structure was updated from 2004 to 2006.

What the Monument Looks Like

The San Jacinto Monument is an eight-sided column. It was built using strong concrete. The outside is covered with Texas limestone. It stands 567.31 feet tall. This makes it the tallest monument column in the world. It is a bit taller than the Juche Tower in North Korea.

The bottom part of the monument has a large museum and a theater with 160 seats. The base has eight panels carved with pictures showing the history of Texas. The bronze doors that lead into the museum show the six flags of Texas. Where the tall column starts from the base, it is 48 feet wide. It gets narrower towards the top, becoming 30 feet wide at the observation deck.

At the very top of the monument is a 220-ton, 34-foot-tall star. This star represents the Lone Star of Texas. A large reflecting pool, 1750 feet long and 200 feet wide, sits in front of the monument. It shows the entire column's reflection.

Around 250,000 people visit the monument every year. About 40,000 of these visitors are children on school trips.

The Story on the Monument

The monument has a long message carved into it. It tells the story of how Texas became independent.

It explains that Mexico was first very kind to its Texas colonists. They gave them land and didn't charge taxes. Texans and Mexicans got along well. But then, new leaders in Mexico started being unfair. This led to the Texas Revolution.

In June 1832, Texans made Mexican leaders free Wm. B. Travis and others from jail.
Texans won battles at Velasco (June 26) and Nacogdoches (August 2).
Stephen Fuller Austin, known as the "Father of Texas," was arrested in 1834.
Texans formed an army and a temporary government in November 1835.

The first shot of the revolution was fired on October 2, 1835, in Gonzales. Texans refused to give a small cannon to Mexican soldiers. Texans also won battles at Goliad and Concepcion. San Antonio was captured in December 1835, and the Mexican Army left Texas.

Texas declared its independence on March 2. After this, Texans faced many defeats:

Dr. James Grant's men were killed on March 2.
William Barret Travis and his men died bravely at the Alamo on March 6.
William Ward was defeated on March 14.
Amos B. King's men were killed on March 16.
James Walker Fannin and his army were killed near Goliad on March 27, 1836.

But then, on April 21, 1836, the Texas Army, led by General Sam Houston, attacked the larger Mexican army. The Mexican army was led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The Texans charged with the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!"

The Mexican army was surprised and quickly ran away. The Texans fought hard, and their victory was complete. Texas was free! The next day, General Santa Anna was captured. He was shown mercy by the Texans, even though he had not shown mercy to the Texans at the Alamo and Goliad.

People from many places fought in the Texas Army at San Jacinto. They came from different states in the U.S. and even from other countries like England, France, Germany, and Mexico.

The Battle of San Jacinto was one of the most important battles in history because of its results. Texas became free from Mexico. This led to Texas joining the United States. It also led to the Mexican-American War. This war resulted in the U.S. gaining a huge amount of land. This land now includes states like Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and parts of other states. Almost one-third of the current United States territory changed ownership because of this battle.