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Ten Facts About The Construction of
THE SAN JACINTO MONUMENTby
Johnny Stucco
Where
to Stay
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. (See The
San Jacinto Centennial Association and the Houston observances during the Texas
Centennial of 1936 by Mark W. Lambert)
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. BONUS
FACT:
(Bring this up quietly when you visit Washington D.C.)
The
San Jacinto Monument IS taller than the Washington Monument.
Getting
There:
22 miles
East of downtown Houston
via
Hwy 225 and 134
Rent a Cars | Book
a Flight
Where
to Stay > San Jacinto Monument Area Hotels:
Houston
Hotels |
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."The
San Jacinto Centennial Association and the Houston observances during the Texas
Centennial of 1936 by Mark W. LambertAlfonso
(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. |
| | Aerial
View of the San Jacinto Monument
Photo Courtesy Captain Robert L. Sadler,
Jr. |
San
Jacinto Monument
Photo courtesy Tom Wells |
©
John Troesser
First published June 2001
Our special thanks to Captain
Robert L. Sadler, Jr. for providing us with his photos of the San Jacinto
Monument. - Editor
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