Skip to main content
San Jacinto Monument
Society
Main Category
Sub Category
Era
Date Created
Location Country
us
Coordinates
29.748889, -95.080278
Address1
Ship Channel
Address2
Monument Cir
La Port
City
Houston
State
Country
Zip

The San Jacinto Monument commemorates the decisive 1836 battle near the banks of the Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River that allowed Texas to win independence from Mexico. It is the world's tallest monument, rising 15 feet higher than the Washington Monument.

In 1936, Daughters and Sons of the Republic of Texas led lobbying efforts to allocate funds for a monument that would mark the importance of the Battle of San Jacinto. Ground was broken on April 21, 1936 - 100 years to the day after the victorious battle.

This towering symbol of Texas' freedom laid the groundwork for many future high-rise structures, particularly those built on expansive soils and/or subject to heavy wind loads caused by severe tropical storms.

The San Jacinto Monument was the world's tallest free-standing concrete tower at the time of construction. The precise monitoring of foundation settlement provided data for testing Dr. Karl Terzaghi's consolidation theory, a fundamental component of soil mechanics.
Image Credit
Courtesy Flickr/Diveofficer (CC BY 2.0)
Image Caption
San Jacinto Monument

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.