We took a day to travel to Johnson City looking for the Texas White House. It is Lyndon B. Johnson's Ranch which is now a National Park & State Park that not only is his home on, it but also his boyhood home, the school he attended, a family cemetery, his working cattle ranch and a hanger with an airstrip for planes. However the Air force One never landed here because it was too heavy.
The adventure begins at the Visitor Center where you can see exhibits and films depicting the lives of President & Mrs. Johnson. From there is is just a short walk to his boyhood home where he lived from age 5 til his marriage at age 26.
The adventure begins at the Visitor Center where you can see exhibits and films depicting the lives of President & Mrs. Johnson. From there is is just a short walk to his boyhood home where he lived from age 5 til his marriage at age 26.
There is a 14 mile drive to get to the Lyndon B.Johnson Ranch District... There you'll go into the Visitor center where you will receive a driving permit, map & CD containing narrative audio for the route. Rightn outside the visitor center is the The Sauer-Beckmann Farm - Rural Life, 1900-1918. The setting for the present-day living history activities is an authentic Hill Country farm. Johann and Christine Sauer, along with their four children, settled this land in 1869. Their family prospered and grew and, by 1885, several stone buildings were built near the original rock and log cabins. Eventually, the Sauers had 10 children. One of those, Augusta Sauer Lindig, served as midwife at the birth of President Johnson. Life on the farmstead is presented as it was in 1918. Park interpreters wear period clothing, do the farm and household chores as they were done at that time.
The first thing we saw when we pulled out of the visitor center was the old road going into the ranch... LBJ use to get a big kick taking people in & out of the ranch driving trough a road that went right into the river. Looks scary to me!
as we continued we came to the old school house he attended at the young age of 4 and he was the youngest student to attend the school. Since he could already read & write his mother had no problem getting him into the school. LBJ graduated at the age of 15 from school.
Our next stop was the reconstructed house where he was born August 27th, 1908. The house was rebuilt by the President and used as a guest house.
Just past that and across the street is the Johnson Family Cemetery where generations of Johnson's are buried. The President was laid to rest here on January 25th, 1973 and Lady Bird some 30 years later.
Also on the property was the Presidents Grandparents house. They lived here after moving from Johnson City where they lived out their lives.
Now we have arrived at the Ranch House, the focal piece of the LBJ Ranch, the home of President Johnson and a center of political activity for more than 20 years. Leaders from around the world visited the Johnsons here, and during the Johnson Administration the original century old rock farmhouse became known as the Texas White House. President Johnson was the first President to create a functioning White House away from Washington. In 1972 the Johnsons donated the Texas White House to the National Park Service and the American people. Johnson stipulated that the LBJ Ranch remain a working ranch, and not a sterile relic of the past. After the President's death in 1973, Mrs. Johnson continued to live at the Ranch part time until her death in 2007. Mrs. Johnson kept on display many of the gifts the Johnsons received while in public service. The Texas White House is "a house full of gifts that's a gift to our nation
Last was a nice ride towards the Show Barn - Built for the care and training of cattle. It continues to serve as the center for present day ranching operations.
And here is my first live & close up LONG HORN!
Did You Know?
Lyndon Johnson's first career was as a teacher and principal of a Mexican-American school in Cotulla, Texas. He later taught debate in Houston.
Until Later... Have FUN, Travel Safe & Enjoy Everyday!
