San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas

[GR "Scott" Cundiff]

We enjoyed volunteering at San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas over the winter months. The folks there are easy to work with and your volunteering efforts are greatly appreciated. There are just a few "camp host" sites available and there is no public camping. The sites are FHU/50 amp. Some are in a parking area near the maintenance building. Others are in an area with individual campsites.

 

There are some negatives: it's noisy because of all the surrounding petrochemical plants and the ship traffic on the Houston Ship Channel. If the winds blows from a certain direction the smell of the plants is noticeable.

 

There are a variety of jobs ranging from maintenance work to serving as docents on the Battleship or on the battleground.

 

Since there are so few campsites and since most everyone returns year after year open positions are limited to non-existent during the winter months. As you can guess it gets quite hot and humid there in the summers, however, if you need to be in that area from late spring to mid-fall, or if you just love history, you might want to look into this.

 

Here's my blog on our experience there.

 

Here's the Texas Parks and Wildlife site where you can sign up for this or many other Texas state parks volunteer opportunities.

[Kirk W]

Scott, that being one of my favorite historic sites we have visited resident volunteers there on several occasions and have never spoken to one that did not feel much as you do. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay there and I thank you for sharing it with us!

[whj469]

Having lived in SE Texas for the last 41 years I can attest to it being a historic place but I wouldn't want to spend any time there. The reason, listed above, petrochemical plants,

the jury is in, if you live around there you will have a higher cancer risk. That area has some of the worst air pollution in the entire country. The state of Texas has been fighting with the EPA

for years regarding this matter. Plant permits in Texas are currently given by the EPA and not the state because of this long standing battle. It has only been a few years since the state granted new coal burning power plant licenses

for seven new plants. The EPA said no but that is only a part of this long standing battle. Texas left alone will not clean up the air. I am glad that we don't have more coal burning power plants.

[GR "Scott" Cundiff]

We are nearing the end of our second volunteering stint at San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas. All the volunteers this winter are people who have volunteered over previous winters. The same people come back winter after winter and that's an indication, I think, that people who volunteer here enjoy the experience. I've already been told that the same crew (including us) have already signed up for next winter.

 

Again, Houston summer can be a bear with high humidity and hot temps.

 

However, if you need or want to be in Houston from late Spring to mid-Fall I know there are openings. The new Texas Parks and Wildlife volunteer site is here. Look for San Jacinto Monument Historical site. If you talk to Boyd about volunteering tell him Scott recommended it to you. I won't get anything but an "atta-boy" out of it, but even that would be cool.