Look up!
Etched into the base of the San Jacinto Monument’s tower are eight friezes depicting famous moments from Texas’s early history. Each frieze is fifteen and a half feet tall and the relief—how deep the carvings are—is up to twelve inches.
They were designed by William Mozart McVey, a Rice University student and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin when the Monument was built. McVey worked closely with historian Louis Kemp to design historically accurate scenes spanning the period from the arrival of the first Anglo-American through the accomplishments of the Republic of Texas.
Before the friezes seen today were carved, McVey created two smaller test versions: a one-quarter scale model of each frieze to use for reference and a full-sized panel from the “Coming of the Pioneers” frieze, which was hoisted into place so McVey could check the perspective from the ground. Once the design was perfected, the final friezes were carved directly into the limestone blocks already in place on the tower.
Walk around the Monument to see each of the eight friezes and the stories they tell.