La Porte - San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park

On April 21st 1836 General Sam Houston inflicted a decisive defeat on the Mexican army at San Jacinto and thus brought the Texan fight for independence to a successful conclusion. The scene of the battle, 20 mi. east of Houston, is marked by the San Jacinto Monument, a 570 ft column. From the platform at the top there are magnificent views. The Museum of Texas History on the ground floor of the monument traces the development of Texas from the early Indian cultures by way of the Spanish and Mexican periods to the present time. Also to be found in the State Park is the battleship "USS Texas", built before the First World War and flagship of the Normandy invasion fleet of 1944.