A hallowed site for some Texans, this 1100 acre park is where Texas fought for – and won – its independence 180 odd years ago. You can learn about the past by browsing the museum, watching the movie, then riding up to the observation deck for a look over the field. Also part of the historic site is the docked 1912 battleship, USS Texas , one of the first steel-plated ships of its era.
In the late afternoon on April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston and his ragtag Texan army caught up with the Mexican forces of General Antonio López de Santa Anna that were resting on the banks of the San Jacinto River. Fighting was fierce, as Houston's men 'remembered the Alamo,' and the massacre at Goliad. Santa Anna's surrender came relatively quickly. The final tally: 630 Mexicans dead and hundreds more wounded, but only nine Texan casualties. Victory was total. The Mexican army retreated; Texas had won its independence.
The park lies 22 miles east of downtown Houston, via I-10 E. Exit at Crosby-Lynchberg Rd, turn south and take the small car ferry across to the site.
