Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in central Texas about 50 miles (80 km) west of Austin in the Texas Hill Country.[4] The park protects the birthplace, home, ranch, and final resting place of Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States.[5] During Johnson's administration, the LBJ Ranch was known as the "Texas White House" because the President spent approximately 20% of his time in office there.[6]

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
President Johnson's birthplace in Gillespie County
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
LocationBlanco and Gillespie counties, Texas, USA
Nearest cityJohnson City, Texas; Stonewall, Texas
Coordinates30°14′27″N 98°37′27″W
Area1,571 acres (6.36 km2)
EstablishedDecember 2, 1969
Visitors110,791 (in 2012)[1]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteLyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Area1,571 acres (636 ha)
Built1914 (1914)
NRHP reference No.69000202[2]
RTHL No.Birthplace: 10062
Boyhood home: 2828
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 2, 1969
Designated NHLMay 23, 1966[3]
Designated RTHLBirthplace: 1967
Boyhood home: 1965

Districts and features

The park consists of two discontiguous areas, the Johnson City District and the LBJ Ranch District. The Johnson City District, located in Johnson City, contains the boyhood home of President Johnson and his grandparents' log cabin settlement, as well as the National Park Visitor Center. The LBJ Ranch District is located roughly 14 miles (23 km) west of Johnson City along the north side of the Pedernales River in Gillespie County. The ranch was the Johnson family retreat during his period of greatest influence, and is the site of the family cemetery. This gives the visitors a perspective of President Johnson's life when he was in office.

Johnson City

The Johnson City Unit is located on the south side of the city, with parking areas at the visitor center on Lady Bird Lane, and on United States Route 290 at N Street. The visitor center, located in a former hospital, provides an introduction to the park, exhibits and films about President Johnson and his wife Lady Bird. A short way north of the visitor center is the Johnson Boyhood Home, an 1880s Victorian house where he lived with his parents from age five. This house, restored by Johnson while he was president, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.[7] West of the visitor center is the Johnson Settlement, a restored prairie in which are found the dogtrot house of Johnson's grandfather, and other 19th-century agricultural buildings.

LBJ Ranch
President Johnson and his wife Lady Bird greet Republicans Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, the 1968 presidential and vice-presidential nominees, at the LBJ Ranch in August 1968.

The ranch is located on the north side of United States Route 290, about fourteen miles west of Johnson City, with its main access through the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site, which lies between the highway and the south bank of the Pedernales River. The National Park Service lands lie north of the river. Among the sites preserved at the Ranch are the President's first school, his reconstructed birthplace, the Texas White House, and the Johnson Family Cemetery, where both President and Lady Bird Johnson are buried.[8] Visitors take a self-guided auto driving tour from State Park visitor center; a permit is required.[9] On August 2, 2018, the National Park Service announced that the Texas White House and Pool House were temporarily closed to visitors due to structural issues.[10]

History

The park was authorized on December 2, 1969, as Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site and was redesignated as a National Historical Park on December 28, 1980.[11][12] Present holdings are approximately 1,570 acres (6.4 km2), 674 acres (2.7 km2) of which are federal. The Johnson family continues to donate land to this property; their most recent gift was in April 1995.[13]

  • LBJ State Park and Historic Area is separated by the Pedernales River from the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.
  • LBJ State Park and Historic Area is separated by the Pedernales River from the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.
  • Sign at entrance to Johnson National Historical Park
  • Rear view of President Johnson birthplace
  • Young Johnson briefly attended this former one-room school c. 1914.
  • Outhouse at Johnson birthplace
  • Cattle in the park are descended from former livestock of President Johnson.
  • Farmhouse of Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr., the grandfather of President Johnson; he died when Lyndon was six years old.
  • Though he was affiliated with the Disciples of Christ denomination, President Johnson often worshipped while at his ranch at the Trinity Lutheran Church (shown in the background).
  • Air Force One used to bring Lyndon Johnson to the Texas White House
  • Chuckwagon at LBJ Ranch used for preparing barbecues.
  • Large live oak tree in front of entrance to LBJ Ranch
  • The pool at the LBJ Ranch was installed in 1955 after then Senator Johnson's heart attack. He was supposed to use it for exercise, but Mrs. Johnson spent far more time in the water.
  • Guests at the LBJ Ranch were sometimes invited to place their names in cement for posterity; here one can see the names of Orville Freeman, Curtis LeMay, and singer Eddy Arnold.
  • United States Secret Service agents guarding President Johnson lived in this small house while on duty at the LBJ Ranch.
  • The graves of Lady Bird and Lyndon Johnson (his with flag) at family cemetery in the national historical park; the public is not allowed entry into the cemetery.

See also

References
  1. "National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics". National Park Service. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. Staff (June 2011). "National Historic Landmarks Survey: List of National Historic Landmarks by State (Texas)" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  4. Gamino, Denice. "Piece of flying history lands on LBJ Ranch". Austin American Statesman. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  5. "Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site". Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  6. "The White House Years". Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  7. "Dedication of LBJ's Childhood Home (1965)". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  8. "President Lyndon B. Johnson's Biography". Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  9. "State and National Parks in the Highland Lakes Region of Central Texas". Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  10. "Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park to Temporarily Close Texas White House and Pool House - Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  11. "Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site, Texas Establishment - P.L. 91-134" (PDF). 83 Stat. 274-2. U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  12. Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Richard Nixon: "Statement on Signing Bills for the Preservation of Presidential Birthplaces and Homes.," December 2, 1969". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  13. "Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park". Retrieved August 1, 2013.
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