The Johnsons Complete a Rehabilitation of their Newly Acquired Ranch Home

All homes require upkeep and maintenance, and this is not the first time the Texas White House has required repairs. From a historical perspective, the current rehabilitation project is comparable to what the Johnsons faced when they acquired the house from Lyndon Johnson's Aunt Frank Martin.

A young Lyndon Johnson poses with his Aunt Georgia Browning in front of what will eventually become the Texas White House. Date unknown.

Shortly after the Johnsons married in 1934, Lyndon Johnson took his bride Lady Bird to visit his Aunt Frank and Uncle Clarence Martin at their “big house on the river,” a home that held many family memories for him.

The extended Johnson family often spent holidays at the big, rambling Martin home. Lyndon Johnson told of family reunions and Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at his aunt and uncle's home. He, his siblings, and cousins often stood on the raised hearth of the the great fireplace to recite poems and entertain the family.

By the time the Johnsons next saw the home in 1950, Frank Martin was a widow and having a difficult time maintaining the large home and acreage. Lady Bird Johnson said it appeared to have become “a Charles Addams cartoon of a haunted house.”

Consequently, when the Johnsons acquired the house on March 5, 1951, they were faced with the daunting task of repairing it. The Johnson’s comprehensive renovation involved every room.

The front (south side) of the Texas White House during the Johnsons' 1951-1952 renovations.

We put hand and heart to build it into a small productive, operating ranch.

—Lady Bird Johnson, speaking of the work they put into the Martin House and ranch property.

The northeast side of the Texas White House during the Johnsons' 1951-1952 renovations.

The west side of the Texas White House during the Johnsons' 1951-1952 renovations.

Soon after the Johnsons moved into their newly renovated ranch home, Lyndon Johnson made it official by writing in the wet concrete of their front walkway.

LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin

Finally, on July 12, 1952, the Johnsons moved into the refurbished house that would become their home until President Johnson’s death on January 22, 1973, and Mrs. Johnson’s death on July 11, 2007.

Lady Bird Johnson poses for a photo with their newly remodeled home.