Statement of Significance (as of designation - December 19, 1960):
Here, on April 21, 1836, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution was fought. Nine hundred men led by Gen. Sam Houston, Commander-in-Chief of all Texas forces, surprised the Mexican army under the command of President Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana which was encamped on the San Jacinto River; in a battle lasting 18 minutes, the Texans routed the enemy, killing or capturing many Mexican soldiers. The following day, Santa Ana himself was captured, and was held hostage against further Mexican attack.

Condition:
With the restoration project of the San Jacinto Monument completed in 2003, the condition of the Monument is good. There is still a potential threat of erosion to our north shoreline along the San Jacinto River. Backfilling is completed behind the levee but it is unknown what impact a major storm may have to this shoreline.

Subsidence and erosion had deteriorated the northern end of the park along the San Jacinto River and was threatening to inundate our marshes. A shoreline reclamation project was developed in conjunction with the Corps of Engineers to reclaim approximately 20-25 acres in order to protect the marshes and shoreline. A rock levee was completed in April 2003 and backfilling the levee with dredge from the Houston ship channel was completed in May 2004.

Recommendation/Change since last report:
Plans are to complete the boardwalk and create a trail into a forested area and through some diverse and healthy coastal habitats. Observation decks are part of the plan to give visitors a good view of the marshes, the Houston Ship channel and forest canopy. Plans are to remove invasive species of trees, grass and shrubs and repopulate the vegetation the shoreline with native trees and grasses in the near future to help hold the soil in place.