Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

What trip of mine would be complete without visiting a national park site? My target this time was the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The park is in two units so our first stop was in Johnson City, TX at the visitor center to get oriented. I never really knew much about Johnson, other than the fact that he was a president. Boy did I ever get an education!

Flags over Texas

The man himself

Lyndon Johnson was president of the United States for five years and two months. In that time, he pushed no fewer than 135 acts through Congress; a feat no one had accomplished before or since. Here is just a sampling:  the Clean Air Act, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Food Stamp Act, the Higher Education Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Public Broadcasting Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. And my personal favorite, he created 35 national parks and established more than 1,000 recreation, scenic and historic trails. His wife, Lady Bird Johnson, also contributed greatly to his conservation efforts and it was her mission in life to beautify the nation.  

Lady Bird Johnson

I wondered why the heck I hadn’t heard more about this President who seemed to have done so much and apparently it comes down to Vietnam which is what most people associate with him, which is a shame.

Boyhood home

Right across from the visitor center is his boyhood home where we got a tour. His family moved to this house two weeks after his fifth birthday, in September 1913 and he spent the next 11 years of his life there. The home is furnished in the early to mid-1920s period and I loved how there were so many porches. There was even a sleeping porch which, to a New Yorker, seems absurd.

Kitchen of boyhood home

We then embarked on a walking tour of the Johnson Settlement. His grandfather and great-uncle established a cattle droving headquarters in the 1860s on this land and their log cabin and subsequent barns, cooler house, and windmill still stand. 

Dogtrot cabin

Windmill through the barn

There was a great exhibit on the cattle business, early Johnson family and settlement history, and Hill Country survival which was quite fascinating to imagine life back then.

What a sight that must have been!

There were also longhorn cattle which I was very excited to see.

Longhorns!

 To see the other portion of the LBJ National Historical Park we had to head 14 miles west to the birthplace, home, ranch, and cemetery for the Johnson family. It is on approximately 1,500 acres. It was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.

Road to the ranch

To get to the homestead you have to drive along the Pedernales River and then through pastures of sheep, goats and Hereford cattle (descendants of LBJs own herd). 

When we saw the airplane hangar, we knew we were close to the Texas White House-so called because the President spent approximately twenty percent of his time in office there, hence the need for a plane to come and go. We made it in time for the last tour of the day. Alas, there are no pictures allowed in the house. 

Tour entrance to White House

Texas White House

Meris and I

That allowed me to focus more on the guide who told us more about LBJ both as a person and as a President. The Johnson's left the house pretty much intact with their clothes still hanging in the closets so it was a fascinating portrait of a family (also of 70's fashion and decor). 

As we exited the house, the sun was setting and it was really such a peaceful and beautiful place, I can imagine why he chose to work from here.  It is still a working ranch to this day which I think is a great legacy to leave and a real testament to who he was.

We made a stop at the Johnson family cemetery on the way out. I really appreciated the cemetery because most presidents are buried in tombs or these elaborate settings but here was LBJ just laid out under an oak tree on his ranch. We couldn't linger though because a ranger pulled up in his truck who told us that the park was closing and we needed to leave.  

Johnson Family Cemetery

To appease the hovering ranger we headed outside the gates and stopped at the one-room school house that Lyndon attended. 

LBJ School

The ranger caught up with us again and I thought we were really in trouble this time but his demeanor completely changed and we ended up chatting for 20 minutes which was a pleasant surprise. Plus we got to savor the sunset while chatting. Thanks Ranger Brian!

On the way back through Johnson City we saw a glow about the town and following our eyes we stumbled upon this beautiful sight:

LBJ brought electricity to the Hill Country and boy do they put it to work with this display! It is on the grounds of the electric company, which is conveniently next to his boyhood home. 

 

Every tree was wrapped roots to tip in lights and it was spectacular. Everything really is bigger and brighter in Texas!