Erected in 1900 and dedicated on April 21st, the Texas Heroes Monument was the first monument in Texas honoring heroes of the Texas Revolution of 1836. Its outstretched hand of Victory points to the San Jacinto Battleground. Henry Rosenberg, who died in 1893, left bequests to the City of Galveston, including $50,000 for the erection of a heroes' monument commemorating the Texas Revolution. Created by sculptor Louis Armateis, the 74-foot bronze and granite structure features a female figure of Victory holding a laurel wreath and became a Galveston landmark. City officials placed it in the middle of the intersection at 25th (Rosenberg) and Broadway. Monument Square was later created by Texas First Bank as a tribute to the work and the heroes it represents. Armateis, an Italian who studied sculpture and architecture in Italy and immigrated to New York in 1883, founded the School of Architecture and Fine Arts that became George Washington University and created a number of notable sculptures, including the bronze doors on the west entrance to the Capital; this monument is considered one of his finest works. Galveston also established the nation’s first commission form of government in 1901, later changed to the Council-Manager form, opened the state’s first public library on January 20, 1871, and served as an entry point for people arriving aboard sailing vessels whose influence spread throughout Texas.
