A Century of Use

• In 1872, Sam and Eliza Johnson left their frontier property after a successful run in the cattle business. A hundred years later, their grandson, President Lyndon B. Johnson, would help fund the purchase of this property by the National Park Foundation in 1972. The few original structures still present at that time were restored to their historic 19th-century appearance. Sam Johnson Sr., his brother Tom, and three of their nephews ran cattle from this settlement after the Civ

A Grand Entrance

• Across the river, the Texas White House is nearly hidden by several large live oak trees. Access to the Johnsons' home and the LBJ Ranch was originally a low-water crossing a short distance downriver. The crossing gave visitors a dramatic entry into Lyndon Johnson's world. Constructed in 1951, the dam and crossing were the first improvements Lyndon Johnson made to the ranch after purchasing the property. He knew that water was the key to running a successful ranching operati

A Land Transformed

• Abundant timber, "stirrup-high" grass, and seemingly adequate water lured the hill country's first settlers to this land. But the land deceived. Only a thin layer of poor soil sustained this lush landscape.The virgin grasses that attracted the first settlers were the product not of one growing season-as was so back east-but of dozens. Once consumed by cattle and sheep, the grass regenerated slowly. Crops of cotton and corn thrived in the first years, but by 1890 per-acre yiel

A More Perfect Society

• Lyndon Johnson's vision of a Great Society was cast in his hometown communities of Stonewall and Johnson City, Texas. The Hill Country of his youth, although a place of rural natural beauty and neighborly caring, was also a place of poverty. President Johnson believed that people in such circumstances, given the right tools, could rise to new heights. The domestic programs of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society were the tools he introduced to assist them.Johnson determined to erad

A River Runs Through: Pedernales River

• The Pedernales River carves out the landscape of the Texas Hill Country, stretching 106 miles from Harper to the Colorado River. Native peoples, German settlers, and cattle ranchers have all traversed its banks. Lyndon Johnson was among those with a connection to the river: "Here is where I would always return, to the Pedernales River, the scenes of my childhood."The LBJ Ranch sits in the middle of the river's course. President Johnson took great pleasure in driving guests ov

Air Force "One-Half"

• The following are the specifications for the Lockheed JetStar (VC-140):<br /><br />Span: 54 feet, 11 inches. <br />Length: 60 feet, 5 inches.<br />Height: 20 feet, 5 inches. <br />Weight: 41,000 pounds maximum.<br />Engines: four Pratt and Whitney J-60 turbojets.<br />Crew: 3 (2 cockpit, 1 flight attendant.)<br />Performance: Maximum speed, 605 miles per hour. <br />Cruising speed, 520 miles per hour. <br />Range: 2,200 miles. <br />Service ceiling: 45,000 feet

Aviation: Key to the Texas White House

• In 1951 Senator Lyndon Johnson set out to establish a home base where he could continue his work away from Washington. To improve access to his ranch he added a 3,000-foot grass landing strip in 1953. By the time Johnson became president, a series of improvements had resulted in a 6,300-foot asphalt airstrip that serviced a variety of aircraft. The expanded airstrip, however, could not support the weight of the Boeing 707 normally used as Air Force One. As a result, after lan

Barbecue Grove

• Amidst the grove of live oak trees, Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson hosted large Texas-style barbecues. At these events hundreds of guests dined on delicious barbecued ribs or brisket smoked over pits here in the grove. Music from the guitars and trumpets of mariachi bands filled the grove with a festive air. These outdoor barbecues were simultaneously great show, great fun, and serious politics. "All the world" was welcome at these western galas. Guests-of-honor hailed from aro

Beckmann Barn

• In 1915, Emil Beckmann used the money he earned from his successful cotton crop to build a new barn. Today it is used as it was historically-a place to store supplies and a space to work the animals. The tool room and tack room within the barn display common farm items of the era that may differ greatly from our modern devices. There is also space from milking the Jersey cows. The milk was used not only for drinking but also in the creation of butter or cheese.Remember, the l

Birthplace Restroom

• Behind the Reconstructed Birthplace are modern restrooms as well as a water fountain with bottle filling station.

Blacksmith Shop-Sauer Beckmann Farm

• While the Blacksmith Shop is a reconstruction, it is time-period appropriate, and many local farms had similar structures at the turn of the twentieth century. This is the only building not original to the farm site. At the time, farmers were able to purchase items from general stores in Fredericksburg or from the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog. However, many folks were self-sufficient and made as much as possible at home. Using a coal-fueled fire, tools could often be repaired

Blanco County Courthouse

• The town of Johnson City was founded in 1879 by James Polk Johnson, a relative of President Lyndon Johnson. The county seat for Blanco County was moved to the new town in 1890 from the town of Blanco, 15 miles away. The current courthouse was constructed in 1916 and designed by San Antonio architect Henry T. Phelps.

Boyhood Home Barn

• The original Johnson barn was a post-frame structure with raised roof described as a "shed barn with a loft." While the loft was used for hay storage, the central area was where father Sam Johnson would park the family car. Around age ten, a young Lyndon Johnson fell from the hay loft and broke his leg.The current structure was originally built in the 1920s at a farm in Albert, fifteen miles southwest of Johnson City, and moved to this site in 1972. While it is not an exact

Boyhood Home Outhouse

• Outhouses (or privies) were common in rural communities that did not have the benefit of indoor plumbing. Johnson City residents, as well as the few businesses in town, all relied on outhouses well into the 1930s. The Johnson family renovated their house in 1934, and at that point, it saw the addition of interior plumbing and a toilet.

Boyhood Home Smokehouse

• The large building closest to the Boyhood Home was known as the smokehouse. This two-room structure was multi-functional, as remembered by the Johnson siblings. Today, the east room displays tools of the 1920s, but growing up, the Johnsons recall their father, Sam, using that room for smoking meats. The west room was a playroom for the children, but it also had shelves where their mother, Rebekah, could keep books and magazines. The lean-to shed on the south side had laundry

Boyhood Home Virtual Tour

Bringing Washington Home

• Imagine a plane roaring onto a newly constructed 3,000-foot grass airstrip. It's 1953, and Senator Lyndon Johnson has arrived at the LBJ Ranch. Initially built to improve access to the ranch during floods, the small airstrip soon proved inadequate for Johnson's rising political aspirations. Within eight years it was lengthened to 6,300 feet to accommodate the increasing number and size of aircraft.Throughout Johnson's political career the LBJ Ranch was a magnet for politician

Bruckner Barn

• John Bruckner, a German immigrant, purchased the property in 1882 from James Polk Johnson as an investment property, originally farmed by his brother, Christian Bruckner. Before moving to the property himself, Bruckner made many upgrades to the living quarters, the log cabin that had once belonged to Sam Johnson Sr. and Eliza Bunton Johnson. He also constructed several stone outbuildings, including this barn in 1884. It was built in German style and is similar to stone buildi

Cedar Guest House

• The Cedar Guest House was used to house invited guests of the LBJ Ranch. The prefabricated home was purchased in 1966 during the Johnson presidency and housed high administration officials as well as VIP guests. Most notably, this guest house was the site of an interview between Walter Cronkite and the former president before his death later that month in January 1973.

Chicken Coop-Sauer Beckmann Farm

• This reconstructed chicken coop provides a safe place for poultry to sleep at night and to lay their eggs. Raising poultry was an important part of any farm. The guineas, chickens, and turkeys provided a reliable source of food.Poultry was most useful for the eggs-not only for the farmers to eat but also to take to town and sell. Different breeds of poultry served different purposes. Some chickens are better to eat, others do better at laying eggs, and other breeds are better

Communicating with the World

• The LBJ Ranch had but a single telephone line when Lyndon Johnson purchased the property in 1951. By the time he became vice president in 1960, the array of technology had grown to 15 local and long-distance phone lines as well as a 50-foot-tall antenna to supply reception for three televisions - one for each network. Despite these upgrades, Johnson's rise to the presidency in November 1963 demanded a modern system allowing secure communications throughout the United States a

Communications Trailers

• The Aides and Communications Complex (ACC) consisted of three connecting trailers. These structures housed the switchboard for the White House Communication Agency (WHCA), a cryptograph section, and quarters for military aides and other personnel on 24-hour call.The assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 necessitated the establishment of a complex Presidential Communications Network at the Ranch. In a relatively short time, additional telephone and teletype circuits, micr

Conserving the Landscape

• Acres of Land At the time of Lyndon Johnson's death in 1973, the LBJ Ranch comprised approximately 2,800 acres (1,133 hectares). The heart of ranch-the portion that President and Mrs. Johnson donated to the National Park Service and the part visitors experience today-totaled around 600 acres (243 hectares). The remaining 2,000+ acres (~800+ hectares) remained in the Johnson family, theirs to use, lease, sell or add to over the years. Today's visitors travel right along the pr

Danz Cabin

• In 1845, hundreds of hopeful German immigrants came to the Texas Hill Country in search of land, political freedom, and adventure. Johann "Casper" Danz, his wife Elisabeth, and their baby Frederick were among them.Tragedy struck the Danz family many times. Soon after they arrived in Gillespie County, Elisabeth and her son died from an epidemic. Casper's second bride, Johannette Margarethe Knaup-Flick, died during childbirth.In 1857, Danz married his third wife, Johanne Doroth

Education Center

• This original structure built in 1900 near Town Creek was the home of the George T. Bryan family. Its architectural style was typical of residences during Lyndon Johnson's youth in the early 20th century. The historic house was rehabilitated in 1997 and now serves as the park's Education Building and local office for the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Education for All

• "I felt a very strong desire to go back to the beginnings of my own education," President Johnson said at a bill-signing here in 1965, "to be reminded and to remind others of that magic time when the world of learning began to open before our eyes."The Johnson Administration saw the passage of over 60 education bills-more education legislation than in any other presidential administration. In comparison, only six major education bills were passed from the time of Lincoln to K

Friendship Stones

• Guests of the LBJ Ranch signed wet concrete-instead of the more common paper register-to signify their visit. Known as the "Friendship Stones," these replicas represent a "who's who" from the Johnson era; signatures of fellow politicians, cabinet members, astronauts, religious leaders, celebrities, even beloved dogs were among those immortalized in concrete. For preservation, the original stones are kept in curatorial storage, but look for some originals on display in the par

Frontier Legacy

• Because of his love for this land, respect for his pioneer ancestors, and his devotion to both, Lyndon Johnson has been called the "last of the frontier presidents." Confederate veteran Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr., and his wife Eliza Bunton-LBJ's grandparents-settled here in 1867. From this 960-acre ranch, Sam and his brother Tom drove cattle north on the Chisholm Trail, amassing in the process a large but fleeting fortune. In 1870 alone they returned with $100,000 in gold coins

Hereford: Breed of Choice

• The names of Lyndon Johnson's cabinet and staff members are nearly as well known as the president himself: Robert McNamara, secretary of defense; Bill Moyers, White House press secretary; Jack Valenti, special assistant to the president; and many others. But do you know the names Mischief, Husker, Domino, and Lamplighter?These registered Hereford bloodlines were integral to the LBJ Ranch and the image Lyndon Johnson wished to portray as a man of the great American West-symbol

Housing the World

• The welcome mat at the Johnson home read, "All the World is Welcome Here", but as the house became an alternate White House, it soon became clear there was not enough room. Describing the steady stream of visitors in her home, Lady Bird Johnson exclaimed, "These old walls are bursting at the seams!" Other houses on the ranch, such as President Johnson's birthplace, were soon pressed into service.Here visitors learned there was a world beyond the Potomac where cattle still roa

James Polk Johnson Barn

• The structure has been restored to its 1880s appearance and originally contained a corn crib, hay loft, grainery, tack room, mule stall, and wagon storage. It was built by James Polk Johnson, founder of the town of Johnson City and nephew to Sam Ealy Johnson Sr., President Johnson's grandfather.

James Polk Johnson Cemetery

• Born in Alabama on August 24, 1845, James Polk Johnson was still a child when his family moved to Texas in search of a better life. As a teenager he served in the Civil War and then moved to Blanco county to join his uncles Tom and Sam Ealy Johnson in their cattle droving business. For a time it was the largest cattle operation in Blanco and surrounding six counties, but the partnership was eventually dissolved in 1871, and James bought out his uncles' land holdings. By 1879

JetStar

• Advances in aviation played a major role in the success of the LBJ Ranch functioning as a remote White House for President Johnson in the 1960s. At that time, aviation technology improved fuel efficiency and reduced flight times. While the large Boeing 707-popularly known as "Air Force One"-never landed on the ranch airstrip, it did fly to either San Antonio's Randolph Air Force Base or Austin's Bergstrom Air Force Base. From there, the president would be shuttled to his ran

Johnson City - Wayside Panel

• No plumbing. No electricity. Unpaved streets. No place to buy a loaf of bread or a pound of meat. A café that sometimes hung out a sign, "Closed for Lunch." A courthouse, a cotton-gin, a ramshackle hotel. Three churches. This was the Johnson City of Lyndon B. Johnson's youth. Here, comfort and amusement came mostly from one's family and neighbors. Many of the buildings of Johnson City's early days still stand. The strong sense of community that forever attracted Lyndon Johns

Johnson Family Cemetery

• The gravesites of President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. Many Johnson relatives are also buried here, including the president's parents, grandparents, brother and sisters.

Johnson Settlement Parking

• About a half-mile west of downtown Johnson City is a parking area for the Johnson Settlement. This large, gravel pullout is located on the south side just off US Highway 290. Historic structures from the post-Civil War years (1870s-1880s) are visible within the Johnson Settlement and a short walk from the parking area.

Johnson Settlement Picnic Area

• Under the seasonal shade of massive pecan trees, visitors can enjoy a picnic outside in the Johnson Settlement.<br /><br />Nearby at the Event Center are modern restrooms, trash and recycling bins, and a drinking fountain with bottle-filling station.

Johnson Settlement Trail

• The sidewalk ahead leads to the Johnson Settlement. From the visitor center, this trail is approximately one mile (1.6 km) in distance and can be walked as a loop. It was from here that the president's grandfather and great-uncle drove cattle up the Chisholm Trail in the late 1860s to the railheads in Kansas.

Johnson Settlement Trailhead

• The Johnson Settlement is where Lyndon Johnson's grandparents first settled in the Texas Hill Country. His grandfather, Sam Ealy Johnson Sr. was a cattle drover, rounding up cattle here in the Hill Country and herding them north along the Chisholm Trail to the railheads in Abilene, Kansas. From there cattle were sold to growing eastern cities with a large demand for beef. The settlement is restored to its appearance in about 1870 and contains many of the original buildings.

Junction School Restroom

• Vault toilets are located a short distance beyond the historic Junction School. A short driveway from the park road leads to a small parking area which allows access to the schoolhouse entrance as well as the two vault toilets.

Junction School Virtual Tour

Klein Shop

• This workshop, completed in late 1967, contained an office, tool room, workbench, service entrance, paint storage locker, and a restroom. Like other buildings on the property, the new shop was painted "LBJ Green." In 2015, the National Park Service re-purposed the historic structure as a small museum to house some of the president's cars and renamed the building the Klein Shop after its original foreman, Lawrence Klein.

LBJ Bulletin Board

• General park information during or after regular business hours can be obtained outside the entrance to the Johnson City Visitor Center on the bulletin board.

LBJ Ranch Entrance

LBJ Ranch Taxiway

LBJ State Park Exhibit Hall

• The exhibit hall contains memorabilia from President Johnson's presidency and interactive displays about the land and people that shaped a president. <br /><br />Connected to the exhibit hall by a covered walkway is the Behrens Cabin, a two-room dogtrot cabin built by German immigrant H.C. Behrens during the 1870s. The furnishings are typical of such homes in that period.

LBJ State Park Nature Trail Trailhead

• The nature trails, including a Hill Country botanical exhibit, winds past wildlife enclosures with bison, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and longhorn cattle. From the trailhead, one trail crosses the open landscape of seasonal wildflowers. It travels along the longhorn cattle pen and ends at the historic Danz Cabins. Another trail, closer to the Exhibit Hall, is mostly forested and heads east to cross a non-perennial creek and ends at the living history farm.

LBJ Statue

• President Lyndon B. Johnson wished to have this statue placed at the state park, overlooking the river. While it may appear the statue takes on a somewhat assertive stance similar to the "Johnson Treatment," the pointing statue is directing our attention to the river and the land of his birth. President Johnson felt most at home in the Hill Country and at his ranch, located just across the river. Some of his earliest memories, he said, were of the Pedernales River.This statu

LBJ: The Western Image

• From his childhood and throughout his political career, Lyndon Johnson drew from his western heritage. The grandson of a Chisholm Trail cattle drover never forgot the "can do" spirit of the early-day cowboys. The LBJ Ranch was the best place for national and world leaders, celebrities, and respected journalists to encounter the real LBJ-a progressive westerner in a big hat, with big dreams and big goals, under a big sky.

Lifetime of Service

• Both President and Mrs. Johnson received lifetime protection from the US Secret Service when Johnson became president in 1963. Mrs. Johnson maintained the LBJ Ranch and Texas White House as a part-time residence until her death in 2007. After she passed away, the US Secret Service departed the ranch but left some of their equipment. Throughout the Texas White House Complex and the LBJ Ranch, remnants of the past protection detail can be seen in surveillance cameras, motion de

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