Video
Orientation Film - LBJ National and State Parks
Transcript
[Narrator] Nestled among tree-enveloped hills and crossed by shallow, running creeks sits a rugged land rich with history and culture in the heart of Central Texas. Known as the Hill Country, this area has been home to many peoples, from the Tonkawa and Comanche to Hispanic and German settlers to American legends themselves. One such man, born in and dearly devoted to this area, became one of the most influential American presidents in our nation's history, and it is for him that Lyndon B. Johnson State and National Historical Parks are named.
In the heart of the Hill Country is a small town bearing President Johnson's family name. Founded by his cousin James Polk Johnson, this small yet bustling town is today the seat of Blanco County and is home to many important landmarks related to the Johnson family. To find out more, head to the national park headquarters.
At the visitor center, park rangers can help you begin your tour of the park. Here, you can delve into detailed exhibits on President Johnson's legislative legacy, watch informative films, and become familiar with both President Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson's careers and accomplishments.
Nearby are two sites integral to the Johnson legacy. Just across the street at the Boyhood Home, get a feel for what life was like in 1920s rural Texas, and imagine how it would have been for a young Lyndon growing up here without electricity or indoor plumbing. As the eldest of five children, born to a Texas State representative and a college-educated mother, Lyndon Johnson developed a lasting impression here that went on to shape his character forever.
Just down the street from the visitor center is the Johnson Settlement. A half-mile gravel loop provides a glimpse into 1860s Texas and is an excellent way to enjoy the Texas Hill Country landscape. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is proud to keep longhorns here as they are important to the economic and cultural history of the Hill Country. At the settlement exhibit center, read about longhorns and their relationship to the land and the people of the Hill Country. Fascinating photographs, tools, and displays reveal the realities behind cattle driving and frontier life.
Further down the path, take a break on the shaded porch of the original Johnson dog trot cabin, home of Sam Ealy Johnson Sr. and his wife Eliza. The grandparents of Lyndon Johnson, this couple lived a true frontier life bound to the land that surrounded them. Their frontier experience was passed down through stories to a young and curious grandson. Partly for this reason, Johnson is still known today as the "Last Frontier President." Before leaving the settlement area, be sure to check out the other sites such as the Bruckner barn, horse pasture, and plant life that brims with an energy all of its own.
While the president's early life and roots can be viewed in Johnson City, it is on the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas that his sense of place was defined.
Begin your LBJ Ranch visit at Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site near Stonewall. Start at the visitor center to check in and pick up your free permit for the self-guided driving tour around the LBJ Ranch district. Afterwards, explore exhibits that describe the human history of this area.
Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site features the cultural and natural history of the Texas Hill Country, the land of President Johnson's birth. Scenic landscapes, historic structures, and exhibits tell the story of the inhabitants of the region from the earliest to the more recent.
Those who came here to work the land included an influx of German settlers whose influence can still be felt strongly today. Peer inside the Barons cabin to see how German settlers would have furnished their homes, and get an idea about how they spent both their work and leisure time.
From the visitor center, a trail system provides a peaceful walk through the woods and open prairie where you can glimpse local wildlife and learn about the natural surroundings. These trails will guide you towards a great jewel of the state park, the Sauer-Beckman Living History Farm. This picturesque farm is continuously worked by volunteers who ensure that the entire site is kept as it would have appeared in the early 1900s. Duties include tending to the livestock big and small, maintaining and harvesting the garden, mending clothes, and preparing noontime dinners. Inside the Beckman farmhouse, furniture, artifacts, and living spaces portray life of the time period. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the staff.
Farther into the park, see firsthand the bison herd. These icons of the American West once freely roamed Central Texas, providing for Native Americans to sustain their communities. Today, these giants enjoy a comfortable life as a valued and protected cultural icon.
As you prepare to leave the state park, be sure to visit other great sites like the original Danz cabins. When heading to the LBJ Ranch, admire the Pedernales River as you cross from bank to bank. Over 100 miles long, this important river has sustained the Hill Country for thousands of years and holds a significant place in Lyndon Johnson's earliest memories.
At the entrance of the ranch, you'll come to a series of buildings vital to President Johnson's life and upbringing. These include the one-room Junction School where the future president began his first formal education at the early age of four. Inside, experience what the learning environment was like in the early 20th century for school children of the Greatest Generation.
If you're a fan of night sky viewing, come back after dark for stargazing. The ranch district serves as an official International Dark Sky site, and the Junction School provides an excellent spot for the public to look at stars outside of park hours.
Continue down the winding, tree-lined road to find yourself at President Johnson's reconstructed Birthplace home. It was here that the future president was born in 1908. The Reconstructed Birthplace is a close representation of the original structure, and it was President Johnson himself who had it rebuilt in 1964. The home is furnished with sentimental period pieces from the Johnson family.
Just a few hundred yards from where President Johnson was born is the Johnson Family Cemetery. Here, many members of the Johnson family were laid to rest including Lyndon Johnson after his death in 1973. Here, his life came full circle as he returned to the land that had meant so much to him. When Lady Bird Johnson passed in 2007, she was buried next to her husband.
Continuing through the ranch, drive past the final home of Sam and Eliza Johnson, President Johnson's grandparents. Wind your way through open fields as you make your way to the highest point of the property. Your reward will be grand views of the rolling hills.
Located near a high point at the north end of the ranch, the Show Barn is the center of the LBJ ranching operation.
LBJ National Historical Park is proud to be one of a handful of parks in the National Park Service to contain a working ranch. Ranch hands care for and manage Hereford cattle that descend from the original stock bought by then Senator Johnson in the 1950s. An eager host, the president often enjoyed showing off the cattle to his guests. Today, the ranching tradition continues, including feeding and herding the cattle, as well as happily answering questions for members of the public like you.
Down the hill and back towards the river, you'll find yourself at the LBJ Ranch Hangar. This building once housed Lyndon Johnson's private planes and later served as the site for community events and press conferences. Today, the hangar serves as the main visitor center at the ranch district and houses a variety of exhibits that explore President Johnson's legacy.
See mementos of the time period in the Johnson administration that stoke a sense of nostalgia for the 1960s. Parked outside the hangar is a Lockheed JetStar, one of five used during the presidency. Get up close and take a look inside to see how the president traveled in the 1960s. A classic showman, President Johnson enjoyed caravanning guests around the ranch in his variety of vehicles.
Standing tall on the banks of the Pedernales River sits the centerpiece of the ranch, the family home of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. Bought by the Johnsons in 1951, the home stayed in the family until the passing of Lady Bird Johnson in 2007.
Overall, one quarter of President Johnson's time in office was spent here, so much so it was dubbed the "Texas White House." On the lawn, crucial cabinet meetings took place to discuss issues such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the War on Poverty. Foreign dignitaries enjoyed Texas hospitality, barbecue, and entertainment under the live oak trees.
In this place that President Johnson was so closely connected to from birth, he also found personal respite from the tumultuous events of the 1960s. So important was this place to them that Mrs. Johnson came to call it "Our Hearts Home."
Here in the Hill Country of Texas, a young boy was shaped by the people and places that surrounded him. As you explore the park and reflect upon Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson's life and legacy, we leave you with these questions: What will be your legacy? How will you shape the future of tomorrow for those to come?
Description
An orientation to everything you can see when visiting LBJ National Historical Park and LBJ State Park and Historic Site.
Duration
14 minutes, 26 seconds
Credit
NPS / Douglas Smith
Date Created
06/15/2022
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