[3] Modeled on Stephen Seymour Thomas' painting, General Sam Houston at San Jacinto[4], the equestrian statue depicts Sam Houston atop his horse, wearing military attire and a long cape.

[2] A monument circle in the statue's current location was proposed by landscape architect George Kessler in his 1916 plan for Hermann Park.

[4] On August 16, 1925, the monument was unveiled by Sam Houston's great-granddaughter and dedicated by John Henry Kirby.

The monument's condition was deemed "treatment urgent" by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!"

As of 2009, 5th grade students at Bunker Hill Elementary and their corporate sponsors had raised money for the monument each year since 1993 and donated a total of more than $71,000 to the Houston Arts Foundation for its care.