News Release
NPS Photo / D. Smith
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Contact: Vanessa Torres, 830-868-7128 x 235
JOHNSON CITY, Texas – Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park announces the opening of two new temporary exhibits, The Texas Oval Office and The Cabinet Oak Project.The Texas Oval Office exhibit officially opens with a public ribbon cutting at 12:30 p.m. on April 5 in the park’s visitor center, in Johnson City. The exhibit enables visitors to feel as though they are stepping inside the home office of President Johnson located at the Texas White House. The National Park Service visitor center is open daily, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
In preparation for the Texas White House Rehabilitation Project, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), park museum staff carefully packed and stored the Texas White House furnishings. During the restoration, select objects will be on display in Johnson City, re-creating President Johnson’s home office. President Johnson’s desk is the highlight, complete with work papers and his favorite piece of technology—a rotary dial telephone. It is said that Johnson spent eighteen hours each day making phone calls; you’ll even be able to eavesdrop on a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as you visit. Head of state gifts to the President round out the exhibit just as they adorned the walls of the President’s office.
In conjunction with the Texas White House Rehabilitation Project, The Cabinet Oak Project is an art exhibition that honors President Johnson’s legacy using wood from the historic, 300-year-old oak under which the President once held meetings. This sprawling tree witnessed critical conversations that shaped the country—including discussions about landmark legislation that established the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
When a large branch of the “Cabinet Oak” fell in 2019, the Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, a non-profit partner with the National Park Service, invited artists from around the country to reimagine its rich heritage and bring it into the future with their own artistic vision. The unique artwork created from the “Cabinet Oak” will be on display in the Hangar Visitor Center at the LBJ Ranch from April 2 through May 31 and will be available for the public to purchase via an online and live auction. All funds raised through The Cabinet Oak Project will be used to restore and preserve the Texas White House Complex, enhance the visitor experience and to establish a future artist-in-residence program at the park.
The Cabinet Oak Project exhibit in the Hangar Visitor Center is open 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors must first stop in at the LBJ State Park and Historic Site Visitor Center located on Highway 281 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg to pick up a free driving pass to the LBJ Ranch.
The Texas White House was the Johnsons’ home and a center of political activity for more than 20 years. Upon acquiring the home and accompanying property in 1951, Lyndon Johnson took every opportunity to return to his beloved LBJ Ranch, first as senator, then as Vice President, and eventually as President. Johnson spent 25% of his presidential years, 1963-1969, at the ranch. Thanks to advances in technology, he was able to create a fully functioning version of the White House away from Washington, DC, and his home office served as a rustic Texas equivalent of the Oval Office. President Johnson governed the nation from his ranch office, phoned political leaders, and hosted foreign dignitaries. When not in his office, President Johnson could often be found just outside in the yard under the impressive live oak tree holding meetings with his Cabinet and staff.
From 2008 to 2018, park visitors joined National Park Service rangers on tours of the Texas White House, including the office and yard, to experience where history was made. In August 2018, the house was closed so that the National Park Service could make the repairs necessary to ensure the long-time preservation of this historic resource.
GAOA is part of a concerted effort to address the large maintenance backlog in national parks. Supported by revenue from energy development, GAOA's Legacy Restoration Fund provides up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to the National Park Service to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors.
About Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park: Established in 1969, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park preserves the historic structures and Texas Hill Country landscapes linked to the ancestry, life, and legacy of President Johnson. The park provides opportunities for visitors to compellingly experience the places that shaped the personality, character, and political philosophy of Lyndon Johnson throughout his life and that served as a setting for a remote White House during his presidency. The park is open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information call 830-868-7128 ext. 231 or 244, or visit www.nps.gov/lyjo, www.facebook.com/LBJohnsonNPS, and www.Instagram.com/LBJohnsonNPS.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 424 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Last updated: April 5, 2024