LBJ Boyhood Home - Ranch - Johnson City Texas

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Things to Do:

LBJ's Reconstructed Birthplace courtesy of the National Park Service

A good place to begin your visit is to stop by the park visitor center in Johnson City. It features a permanent exhibit gallery that showcases Lyndon Johnson's life and accomplishment. This includes a world events timeline, a display depicting the highlights of LBJ's Great Society programs, and a tribute to Mrs. "Lady Bird" Johnson. Also offered are two video presentations, both 30 minutes in length. One is about the Johnson Administration, the other, about Mrs. Johnson's life and achievements.

The park has two visitor areas separated by about 14 miles: 1) the Johnson Settlement/Boyhood Home/Park Headquarters in Johnson City and 2) the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall. When planning a visit to both districts, it is recommended that a full day be set aside to see all of the park. A minimum amount of time to spend in Johnson City is two hours; the same amount of time at a minimum is recommended at the LBJ Ranch.

Johnson Settlement:
Lyndon Johnson's grandfather and great-uncle established a cattle droving headquarters here in the 1860s. Their log cabin and subsequent barns, cooler house, and windmill are still here. There is also a modern exhibit center focusing on the cattle business, early Johnson family and settlement history, and Hill Country survival. A chuckwagon and longhorn cattle round out the "cowboy" atmosphere. Self-guided tours of the Johnson Settlement, also in Johnson City, are available from 9:00 a.m. until sunset seven days a week. Costumed or ranger-guided interpretive tours of the Johnson Settlement are offered as staffing permits.

Lyndon Johnson's Boyhood Home:
The former president lived here from the age of five until his high school graduation in 1924. The home is furnished in the early to mid-1920s period and as such depicts a rural Texas lifestyle of 75 years ago. Various guided tours of the LBJ Boyhood Home in Johnson City are offered seven days a week.

The LBJ Ranch House:
The LBJ Ranch House, known as the Texas White House, was the home of President Johnson and a center of political activity for more than 20 years. Today, Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson resides here. Bus tours of the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall are conducted from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. seven days a week. After hours self-guided tours of a portion of the Ranch are available seven days a week from 5:00 p.m. until dusk.

Reconstructed Birthplace:
The Reconstructed Birthplace was built by President Johnson in 1964 on the site where he was born in 1908. The Johnsons furnished the home with family memorabilia and used it as a guest cottage.

Johnson Family Cemetery:
Along with his ancestors, President Johnson was buried at the Johnson Family Cemetery.

Junction School:
Lyndon Johnson first attended classes in the one-room Junction School House at the age of four. And as President, he signed into law the Elementary and Secondary Education Act at the same one-room school.

Ranching Operations:
Registered Hereford cattle graze at the ranch and are displayed at the Show Barn.

Trails and Roads
A self-guiding nature trail is available at the Johnson Settlement. Access to the LBJ Ranch is restricted to the ranger-guided bus tour, except for the Birthplace, Junction School, and Cemetery, which can be seen as a self-guided tour from 5 p.m. until sunset.