Houston, TX — Booming cannons, cracking musket fire, thundering hooves and battle cries will resound across the San Jacinto Battleground on Saturday, April 26, 2014, as hundreds of history reenactors recreate the events leading up to Texas winning its independence at the decisive Battle of San Jacinto where General Sam Houston led his Texian soldiers to victory over the Mexican Army.
This dramatic battle reenactment is the centerpiece of the admission-free San Jacinto Day Festival, held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 1,200-acre San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, surrounding the San Jacinto Monument. Sponsored by the San Jacinto Museum of History, Texas Parks & Wildlife and the San Jacinto Volunteers reenactors, the festival is a full day of music, entertainment, food, games and fun set amidst living history.
The festival and battle reenactment attract approximately 20,000-30,000 visitors to the site. Through corporate sponsorships such as Presenting Sponsor H-E-B and Major Sponsor Dow Chemical, the San Jacinto Museum of History Association is able to maintain this as an admission-free event, with free parking.
San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment: Hundreds of reenactors arrive from across the state on Friday to set up their camps just like the Texians and Mexicans did back in 1836. On Saturday, visitors can wander freely among the Mexican and Texian camps of the reenactors to learn what the soldiers and their families were doing prior to the battle in 1836 as the reenactors become figures in history for the weekend. At 3 p.m., the official (and historically accurate!) reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto begins; it is the largest in southwest United States.
“For the Texans, their victory at San Jacinto led to Texas’ annexation into the United States,” says Robert B. Hixon, Chairman of the Board, San Jacinto Museum. “In the end, the United States would gain not only Texas but also the lands which now make up the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Utah, including parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Nearly one million square miles of territory changed sovereignty. Because of the victory at San Jacinto, the United States became a bicoastal nation obtaining the natural resources needed to add to its powerful political and military presence in the world. Few battles in world history have been more decisive or had a greater influence on subsequent history.”
The San Jacinto Monument is open all day, as it is nearly every day of the year. Visitors can ride the elevator to the top for a panoramic view of the festivities, explore the special exhibit, watch a Texas history movie and tour the hundreds of museum pieces on display. There are modest admission fees for the elevator ride, movie and special exhibit inside the Monument. For more information, the public may visit www.sanjacinto-museum.org and Facebook.
