SABINE PASS BATTLEGROUND STATE HISTORICAL PARK. Sabine Pass Battleground State Historical Park is on Farm Road 3322 just south of the town of Sabine Pass in Jefferson County. The 56.3-acre park includes the Sabine Pass battleground, where a small Confederate force under the command of Lt. Richard W. Dowling repelled an attempted invasion of Texas by Union naval gunboats during the Civil War in the battle of Sabine Pass. During World War II the area was the site of a United States Army coastal artillery battery, and a few old bunkers can still be seen there. A statue honoring Dowling's exploits was erected by the state in 1936. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department bought the site from the Kountze County Trust in 1971. Facilities include picnicking areas, a playground, a boat ramp, and restrooms.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ray Miller, Texas Parks (Houston: Cordovan, 1984).
