The San Jacinto Museum of History invites you to spend your summer exploring everything the Museum, Monument and Park has to offer.

The Museum boasts several opportunities to explore Texas history inside of the Monument including: Texas Forever!! The Battle of San Jacinto digital presentation; the nearly 500-foot elevator ride to the Observation Deck atop the San Jacinto Monument with views of the historic battleground of San Jacinto and many square miles of surrounding area; and the Museum’s permanent gallery exhibiting books to bayonets and swords to six shooters.

The Museum’s special exhibit, “Big Energy: A Texas Tale of People Powering Progress” that explores the history of Shell and Deer Park and their impact on making the community the energy hub it is today. New audio tours of the exhibit will be available to download on Apple and Android devices by the end of May.

A new lobby exhibit, “Fasten This,” dives in to the growth of the button. As civilizations developed, the button evolved from a purely utilitarian item into an object that could denote status and relative wealth. The difference between a simple hand-carved button and a jewel-encrusted example made of precious metals is not in the task that they accomplish, but what their use denotes to the owner and to the society they inhabited. The museum has hundreds of buttons in its collections, found throughout our holdings on artifacts like jackets, gloves, and books. This exhibit takes a look at some fascinating examples and the times in which they were used.

The Museum is proud to be part of the Blue Star Museums program in 2019, offering free entrance to all active duty military personnel, including National Guard and Reserve, and their families from Monday, May 18, 2019, (Armed Forces Day) through Monday, September 2, 2019, (Labor Day). Up to five family members will also be admitted free of charge.

Surrounding the Monument lies the San Jacinto Battleground where visitors can explore the grounds where Texas won its independence from Mexico in the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. In addition to the battleground, guests can take advantage of picnic tables, grills and water faucets and the 1,210-foot long marsh trail and boardwalk that provides views of the native prairie, tidal marsh and bottomland forest.

Several summer camps and programs will be taking place on the grounds put on by the Battleship TEXAS and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Wednesday, May 29 thru Friday, May 31, 8 a.m. to Noon, each day – Junior Angler Camp

Saturday, June 1, 11 a.m. – Battleship Ranger Walk, a one-hour program intended for adults, but all ages are welcome.

Saturday, June 1, 1 p.m. – Battleship Junior Rangers, a program for children ages 6-12, and their families

Wednesday, June 5 thru Friday, June 7, 8 a.m. to Noon, each day – Battleground Camp

Saturday, June 8, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – D-Day 75th Anniversary Commemoration

Wednesday, June 12 thru Friday, June 14, 8 a.m. to Noon, each day – Battleship Camp

Wednesday, June 19 thru Friday, June 21, 8 a.m. to Noon, each day – Battleground Camp

Wednesday, June 26 thru Friday, June 28, 8 a.m. to Noon, each day – Battleship Camp

Saturday, July 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Art Day at the Battleship

To find out more information on events at the battleship visit tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/battleship-texas and to find out information on camps, email sjcamp@tpwd.texas.gov

More on the San Jacinto Museum of History: The San Jacinto Museum of History Association is a non-profit organization which manages and operates all aspects of the San Jacinto Museum, which is housed in the San Jacinto Monument on the grounds of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. More than 20,000 students visit the Museum each year on field trips. The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site attracts more than 1,500,000 people to the park annually.

The San Jacinto Monument and battlegrounds complex is located at One Monument Circle, La Porte, Texas 77571-9585; contact 281.479.2421 or visit sanjacinto-museum.org for more information.