We all know the age-old saying: Everything is bigger in Texas. Usually, that just applies to highway interchanges, belt buckles, and Buc-ee’s locations. But sitting right out in the open along the Houston Ship Channel is a towering San Jacinto Monument that proves the old saying holds true.
Towering 567 feet over La Porte, this San Jacinto Monument is officially the tallest masonry column on Earth.
And yes, that means it beats out the Washington Monument by exactly 12 feet.
If you look closely at the very top of the spire, you’ll see the symbol of the state: a massive, 220-ton Lone Star. The three-dimensional, structural steel star measures 34 feet tall and weighs a mind-boggling 220 tons. It was built in situ (on-site at the top of the tower) back in 1939 and is covered in Texas limestone sourced directly from a quarry near the State Capitol in Austin.
The monument marks the exact grounds of the Battle of San Jacinto. On April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston and his vastly outnumbered Texan army launched a surprise attack on the Mexican army led by General Santa Anna.
The entire battle lasted just 18 minutes. That hyper-speed victory secured Texas’s independence and changed the map of North America forever. Today, the sprawling 1,750-foot reflecting pool and the towering obelisk mark the historic battle.
While the base of the monument houses the San Jacinto Museum of History (featuring incredible artifacts from the Texas Republic era), the real secret is the elevator ride.
Visitors can take an elevator almost 500 feet straight up to the Observation Deck. Located just below the massive star, the deck offers staggering, panoramic views of the historic battlegrounds, Houston Ship Channel, and Battleship Texas when in port.
If you want to experience the world’s tallest war memorial for yourself, it’s located at 1 Monument Circle at La Porte, TX, just a 30-minute drive east of Downtown Houston. The park and grounds are free to enter. Elevator rides to the Observation Deck require tickets.
