| |
The
Top Ten Facts About The Construction of
THE SAN JACINTO MONUMENTby
Johnny Stucco
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save: Houston
Hotels |
| | Aerial
View of the San Jacinto Monument
Photo Courtesy Captain Robert L. Sadler,
Jr. |
| The
San Jacinto Monument was designed by the prolific Houston architect Alfred
Finn to commemorate the Centennial of the Battle
of San Jacinto.
There is no particular order of importance to the entries - numbers
are provided to save the reader the trouble of counting.
1. Despite
what your uncle told you, no one was buried alive in wet concrete.
2.
Only 35 of the 150 men hired had construction experience.
3. After
completion, the mast and boom were removed by lowering them through the elevator
shaft since the taper of the monument wouldn't allow lowering.
4. The
shaft rose at the rate of 24 feet per week.
5. The working platform
(which rose as the shaft was built) weighted 65 tons.
6. The star
on the top weighs 220 tons.
7. The 3 dimensional star is 34 feet from
point to point.
8. The sculpted stone panels immediately above the
museum weigh 4 tons each.
9. The re-enforcement bars were 2 inches
by 2 inches and 110 feet long.
10. The bars were easily bent, but were
straightened by a railroad rail-straightening device that the contractor borrowed
from a local railroad yard. |
| | Aerial
View of the San Jacinto Monument
Photo Courtesy Captain Robert L. Sadler,
Jr. |
BONUS
FACT:
(Bring this up quietly when you visit Washington D.C.)
The
San Jacinto Monument IS taller than the Washington Monument. |
San
Jacinto Monument
Photo courtesy Tom Wells |
San Jacinto Monument Related History: San
Jacinto Monument by Mike Cox ("Texas
Tales")
"Most people think the towering star-topped limestone monument, built during
the Texas Centennial in 1936, is the only San Jacinto monument. Actually, it’s
only the biggest."Alfonso
(Alphonso) Steele, last Texas survivor of the battle of San Jacinto
The
Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836 by Murrary Montgomery
The
Last Hero by Bob Bowman
The last surviving veteran of the Battle
of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, lies in an almost forgotten cemetery in deep
East Texas
The
Treaty of Velasco by Archie P. McDonald
General Sam Houston, and
later Interim President David G. Burnett, chose negotiation instead of revenge
for the massacres at the Alamo and Goliad.
Nearby Landmarks and Destinations
Battleship
Texas
Houston, Texas
Baytown, Texas |
 |
San
Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site -
281/479-2431
3523 Battleground
Road
LaPorte TX 77571
Texas Park & Wildlife website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/sanjac/
A
Trip:
Return
to San Jacinto after 67 Years
by Ken Rudine | |
|
