
Remembering the Texan Revolution
The Lone Star State didn’t just declare its independence from Mexico in the 1800s. It clawed and fought for it through six brutal months from 1835 to 1836.
Texas didn’t just declare its independence – it clawed and fought for it through six brutal months from 1835 to 1836. Today, you can stand where cannon fire once shook the earth and touch walls that sheltered desperate fighters.
Each of these places marks key moments from the 1835-1836 revolution, from the first shots fired at Gonzales to the final win at San Jacinto. At these sites, you’ll find yourself walking in the footsteps of legends who shaped the American West.

The Alamo
Built from limestone and bravery, the Alamo stands as the most famous symbol of Texas independence. Builders first made it in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero.
In 1836, about 200 Texas fighters faced 2,500 Mexican soldiers led by General Santa Anna in a famous 13-day battle. When you visit the 4.2-acre site today, you can see the original chapel and Long Barracks, letting you connect with Texas’ revolutionary past.
As both a UNESCO World Heritage site and Texas State Shrine, the Alamo honors the brave sacrifice of leaders James Bowie, William Travis, and their fellow fighters.

San Jacinto Battleground
Texas won its freedom at San Jacinto Battleground during an amazing 18-minute battle on April 21, 1836.
General Sam Houston’s army beat Mexican General Santa Anna here, winning Texas its freedom and helping America grow westward. During your visit to the 1,300-acre site, you’ll see the San Jacinto Monument stretching 567 feet into the sky—taller than the Washington Monument.
You can explore the San Jacinto Museum of History, ride up to an observation deck 489 feet high, and walk nature trails through native prairie. The battleground opens daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering tours and showing the movie “Texas Forever!!”

Presidio La Bahía
Presidio La Bahía in Goliad shows both the fight and tremendous loss during Texas’ battle for freedom. Spain built this fort in 1721 to protect its territory. In 1835, Texas fighters captured it and renamed it Fort Defiance under Colonel James Fannin’s leadership.
One of the most tragic events of the revolution happened here – the Goliad Massacre on March 27, 1836. Today, you can explore the fixed-up fort with its Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto, six original cannons, and a museum full of old items from its past.

Fannin Battleground
Ten miles east of Goliad, you’ll find Fannin Battleground, where Colonel James W. Fannin and his Texas army surrendered to Mexican General Jose de Urrea after fighting for two days in March 1836.
You can visit daily from 8 am to 5 pm for free, and enjoy picnic areas and self-guided tours. A tall stone marker shows where they surrendered, leading to the tragic Goliad Massacre.
The 14-acre historic site, listed as nationally important, has displays that explain what happened, a bandstand with a small museum, and peaceful grounds for you to explore.

Alamo Cenotaph
The Alamo Cenotaph rises 60 feet above San Antonio, standing guard to honor the fighters who died at the Alamo in 1836.
People call it “The Spirit of Sacrifice,” and builders made it from grey Georgia marble and pink Texas granite in a style that looks like ancient Greek and Roman art.
Workers finished this impressive monument in 1940 for Texas’ 100th birthday celebration. On it, you can see detailed carvings of the fort’s leaders and the names of 187 known defenders.

Washington-on-the-Brazos
Visit Washington-on-the-Brazos, known as the “Birthplace of Texas,” where 59 brave leaders met in 1836 to declare Texas free from Mexico.
Today, this 293-acre site shows you Texas’ birth through its rebuilt Independence Hall and the big Star of the Republic Museum. At Barrington Living History Farm, you can see what life was like in 1850s Texas.
The site hosts many learning programs throughout the year, including a big Texas Independence Day Celebration in March and Living History Saturdays, where people in old-time clothes tell you stories about Texas’ revolutionary past.

San Felipe de Austin
Follow early Texas history to San Felipe de Austin, a pioneer town that helped shape Texas. Stephen F. Austin started this town in 1823, and it became both the capital of his colony and an important trading center.
Its spot on a hill above the Brazos River helped it grow into Texas’ second-biggest business center, with the area’s first post office and one of its earliest newspapers. Though settlers burned it in 1836 to stop the Mexican army from using it.

Gonzales Memorial Museum
Built from Texas limestone, Gonzales Memorial Museum shows you where the Texas Revolution began.
Workers built it in 1936 for Texas’ 100th birthday, and inside you’ll find the famous “Come and Take It” cannon that started the revolution. In the museum’s two wings, you can see old rifles, uniforms, and even doctor’s tools for removing injured limbs.
J.B. Winn Jr. painted the wall murals, and sixteen bronze plaques honor important people from history. You can also see a 500-seat outdoor theater and reflecting pool, helping you understand how Texas started its fight for freedom.

San Jacinto Monument
The San Jacinto Monument reaches 567.31 feet into the sky near the Houston Ship Channel, making it the world’s tallest stone column and a powerful symbol of Texas freedom.
Architect Alfred C. Finn designed this Art Deco masterpiece with an eight-sided tower topped by a 220-ton Lone Star. Workers finished it in 1939, spending $1.5 million.
The monument marks the important battlefield where General Sam Houston’s army won Texas’ freedom from Mexico.
Today, you can ride an elevator to look out over the area, explore the San Jacinto Museum of History at the bottom, and join the yearly San Jacinto Day Festival.

Statue of Sam Houston in Hermann Park
The big bronze statue of Sam Houston on his horse guards the northwest entrance of Houston’s Hermann Park.
It watches over where Montrose Boulevard meets Main Street since 1925. Italian artist Enrico Filiberto Cerrachio made the 20-foot bronze statue showing Houston riding his horse Saracen, sitting on a 25-foot granite arch.
The statue points toward the San Jacinto Battleground and Houston’s great-granddaughter unveiled it. The Women’s City Club paid $75,000 for it. Since 1993, local students have helped take care of it, raising over $71,000 to fix it.
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