Texas White House: Past, Present, and Future

A series of short educational videos on the history and importance of the Texas White House and LBJ Ranch.

 

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Transcript

Hi everyone! I'm Ranger Douglas, and welcome to the Texas White House: Past, Present, and Future video series. In this series, we'll explore the history of the Texas White House, from the area's first inhabitants all the way to the present day. Let's start at the very beginning. For approximately 16,000 years, the Texas Hill Country has been home to diverse communities. The earliest evidence of human activity in the area dates back to 9,200 BC, during the Paleo-Indian period. These early inhabitants gathered wild plants and hunted now-extinct megafauna, such as mastodon, camel, horse, and bison. As time went on, various cultures emerged, such as the Folsom, Clovis, and Plainview cultures. These groups were nomadic, hunting and gathering throughout the area and experiencing both the beauty and the challenges of life in the Hill Country. Over time, more developed cultures took root, and new tribes like the Tonkawa, Leaping Apache, and Comanche began to call this place home. These Native American groups thrived through periods of prosperity and hardship, but their way of life would soon be threatened by the arrival of the Spanish, the creation of Mexico, and the eventual entrance of Texas into the United States. Skirmishes, wars, disease, and forced removal by colonizers drastically altered the landscape of the Hill Country, leaving the area largely devoid of its Native American population. In the following period of western expansion, a wave of immigration descended on Texas. Newcomers arrived from southern states like Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, as well as from international destinations, including Scotland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia. The land that would become the LBJ Ranch sat at the heart of the burgeoning German-American diaspora. Records indicate that from 1845 onward, the land passed through several hands and was mainly used for grazing longhorn cattle. In the early 1880s, German immigrants Wilhelm and Wilhelmina Meyer purchased 650 acres of this land to farm and raise their family. They built a log cabin beside the Pedernales River, where they cooked on an open fire and tasked their children with working in the cotton fields. By 1895, Wilhelm decided to build a larger home for the family. Construction took almost an entire year, but when finished, the house, built from native limestone, would serve as the foundation for what would later become the Texas White House. The two-story structure became a community hub, hosting dances, weddings, and large meals for locals. In 1900, the Meyers sold their home and land, and the property went through a series of different owners. Then, in 1909, the house was purchased by Judge Clarence and Frank Martin, the aunt and uncle of a ten-month-old Lyndon Baines Johnson. Over the next few years, the Martins enlarged the house, adding a bay-windowed bedroom, a shaded porch, a dining room, and more. Like the Meyers before them, they grazed cattle on the land, built a new barn, and expanded the property. Young Lyndon Johnson often visited, and he fondly recalls hanging his Christmas stocking on the mantel, reciting poetry for his extended family, and enjoying hearty Thanksgiving meals. It was these experiences, along with his deep affection for his aunt and uncle, that cemented LBJ’s love for what he would later call “the big house on the river.” When Judge Martin passed away in 1936, his widow Frank lived with her children and later alone for another 10 years. But soon after, the most significant chapter in the history of the house would begin, thanks to her enterprising young nephew. Join us in the next video, where we’ll explore Lyndon B. Johnson’s time in the home, both before, during, and after his presidency.

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Duration:
5 minutes, 34 seconds

Episode One highlights the history of the land from the natives peoples who lived there to Lyndon Johnson's acquisition of the home from his Aunt Frank Martin in 1951.

 
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Duration:
4 minutes, 44 seconds

Episode Two highlights the the renovations the Johnsons made to the house and how it became the Texas White House.

 
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Duration:
7 minutes, 19 seconds

Episode Three highlights the years after the president's passing. Lady Bird spent those years continuing his legacy and building her own.

 
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Duration:
7 minutes, 50 seconds

Episode Four highlights the National Park Service efforts to prepare the Texas White House for visitors after the passing of Mrs. Johnson. It describes the opening of the house on August 27, 2008 through the next ten years, until its closure in August 2018.

 
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Duration:
7 minutes, 16 seconds

Episode five highlights the importance of historic preservation and what it takes to preserve and protect special places such as the Texas White House for present and future generations.

Last updated: April 8, 2023

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