• Rich in history, Texas is home to a number of monumentstexas proud image by buckwheat from Fotolia.com
  
  History buffs converge on Texas every year to discover the historical past of a land that before becoming a state was once a territory of Mexico, then following revolution, a republic. From the grassy knoll in Dallas to the Alamo in San Antonio, there are an endless number of historical sites and monuments for history buffs to visit.
  
  

Hood's Texas Brigade Statue

• The Hood's Texas Brigade Statue, erected on the grounds of the state capitol in Austin, honors Confederate general John B. Hood and his men. The bronze figure of Hood stands on a gray granite shaft upon which quotes from Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee are inscribed. The statue and shaft together stand 35 feet tall and are mounted to a 16-foot tall base.
  
  The statue was made possible through the work and fund-raising of the Hood's Brigade Association, which ceased to exist following the death of the last two members of Hood's brigade in 1933. The association resumed meeting in 1966 under the leadership of members of the deceased soldiers' families.
  
  Pompeo Coppini, an Italian sculptor, created the statue--as well as other works--on the state capitol grounds, including the Terry's Texas Rangers Monument and the Confederate Soldiers Monument. There is no charge to visit any of the statues and monuments on the state capitol grounds.
  
  State Preservation Board
  Caretakers of the Texas Capitol
  201 E. 14th Street
  Austin, TX 78701
  512-463-5495
  www.tspb.state.tx.us
  
  

San Jacinto Monument

• Approximately 15 feet taller than the Washington Monument, the San Jacinto Monument stands in honor of those who fought for Texan independence. Its height of 570 feet makes it the tallest war monument in the country.
  
  Various organizations, including the Sons and Daughters of the Republic of Texas, lobbied the federal government for close to 100 years to provide funding for a monument on a field where the Battle of San Jacinto was fought in 1836. The project received its final boost from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Jesse H. Jones, who happened to be an important native of Houston. The project was built over a three-year period: 1936 to 1939.
  
  The monument's observation floor is open from 9 to 5:45. There is a museum on the battlefield grounds open from 9 to 6. The grounds are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
  
  San Jacinto Monument and Museum
  One Monument Circle
  La Porte,TX 77571
  281-479-2421
  sanjacinto-museum.org
  
  

Sam Houston Statue

• In the state famous for its big hats, it is fitting that one of the fathers of Texan independence happens to also have the tallest statue of an American hero in the country. Standing at 67 feet tall, the Sam Houston Statue, nicknamed "Big Sam," was completed in 1994.
  
  Also at the statue grounds is a visitors center and gift shop. The grounds are open from Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, 10 to 5 on Saturday and 11 to 5 on Sunday. During weekends between May and September, the grounds stay open until 6.
  
  Sam Houston Statue
  7600 Highway 75 South
  Huntsville, TX 77340
  936-291-9726
  samhoustonstatue.org