Statue of Sam Houston

SAM HOUSTON STATUE

The former Soviet Union had a habit of erecting giant statues, mostly of the founding father of communism, Lenin. The Soviets also named cities after their two most prominent revolutionaries, Lenin and Stalin, Leningrad and Stalingrad. The Soviet Union also always liked to brag about being the first, the biggest and the best.

Texas has very little in common with the old Soviet Union.

However, there is this giant statue of Sam Houston, the tallest statue in the nation of a statesman. One sees the statue of Sam Houston when traveling on Interstate 45, south of Huntsville. It stands right beside the freeway, a mass of white noticeable at quite a distance and glowing bright at night. One passes the statue of Sam Houston when heading towards or away from the city named after him. Texas has another town named for another Texas founding father, Austin.

The parallels between Texas and the former Soviet Union seem to stop there, except there is that disturbing Gulag-like concentration camp-like collection of prisons on both sides of the freeway in Huntsville, very close to the statue of Sam Houston---and executions seem to take place there with almost a Soviet-like frequency.

The statue of Sam Houston is part of a nice little park with a visitor's center. Sam Houston stands about 170 miles south of Dallas and about 70 miles north of his namesake city. And just a bit south of the prisons in Huntsville where the Texas executions take place.

Sam Houston Statue | Houston | Houston Art Cars | Moody Gardens | Galveston

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You walk a trail through a piney woods forest. Suddenly the backside of a giant Sam Houston comes into view.

Walking out of the woods and beside Sam.

The Sam Houston Statue was made by artist David Akickes. It is the world's tallest statue of an American hero. It is not known what or where the second tallest statue of an American hero is. Sam Houston is 67 feet tall standing on a 10 foot tall granite pedestal.

The cane must help support Mr. Houston during high winds.

The view of Sam Houston from the edge of the freeway.

The Sam Houston Statue Official Website.

Sam Houston Statue | Houston | Houston Art Cars | Moody Gardens | Galveston

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