Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
President Johnson's birthplace in Gillespie County
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park Location in Texas Show map of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Blanco and Gillespie County, Texas, U.S.
Nearest city	Johnson City, Texas; Stonewall, Texas
Area	1,571 acres (6.36 km²)
Established	December 2, 1969
Visitors	110,791 (in 2012)
Governing body	National Park Service


Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
U.S. National Historic Landmark

Area	1,571 acres (636 ha)
Built	1914 (1914)
NRHP reference No.	69000202
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 2, 1969
Designated NHL	May 23, 1966

The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is a special place in central Texas. It is about 50 miles (80 km) west of Austin. This park helps protect the important places from the life of Lyndon B. Johnson. He was the 36th president of the United States.

The park includes his birthplace, his family home, his ranch, and his grave. When Johnson was president, his ranch was often called the Texas White House. This is because he spent about 20% of his time there while he was in office.

Exploring the Park: What You Can See
- Johnson City District
  - Visitor Center and Boyhood Home
  - Johnson Settlement
- LBJ Ranch District
  - Important Sites at the Ranch
History of the Park
Images for kids
See also

Exploring the Park: What You Can See

The park is split into two main areas. These are the Johnson City District and the LBJ Ranch District. Each area shows a different part of President Johnson's life.

Johnson City District

The Johnson City District is located in Johnson City. Here, you can find the house where President Johnson grew up. You can also see a log cabin settlement that belonged to his grandparents. This district also has the main National Park Visitor Center.

Visitor Center and Boyhood Home

The park's visitor center is in Johnson City. It used to be a hospital. Inside, you can watch films and see exhibits about President Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird.

Just a short walk north of the visitor center is the Johnson Boyhood Home. This is a Victorian-style house built in the 1880s. Lyndon Johnson lived here with his parents starting when he was five years old. He helped restore this house when he was president. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

Johnson Settlement

West of the visitor center is the Johnson Settlement. This area shows what a prairie looked like long ago. You can see the dogtrot house of Johnson's grandfather here. There are also other farm buildings from the 1800s.

LBJ Ranch District

President Johnson and his wife Lady Bird greet Republicans Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, the 1968 presidential and vice-presidential nominees, at the LBJ Ranch in August 1968.

The LBJ Ranch District is about 14 miles (23 km) west of Johnson City. It is located along the north side of the Pedernales River. This ranch was the Johnson family's special getaway. It was where they spent time during his most important years. The family cemetery is also located here.

Important Sites at the Ranch

At the ranch, you can visit several historic places:

The President's first school.
His reconstructed birthplace.
The famous Texas White House.
The Johnson Family Cemetery, where both President Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson are buried.

Visitors can take a self-guided driving tour of the ranch. You need a permit from the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site visitor center to do this. Please note that the Texas White House and Pool House are currently closed due to structural issues.

History of the Park

The park was first created on December 2, 1969. It was called the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site. Later, on December 28, 1980, it was renamed a National Historical Park.

Today, the park covers about 1,570 acres (6.4 square kilometers). The Johnson family has continued to give land to the park over the years. Their most recent gift was in April 1995.

Images for kids

LBJ State Park and Historic Area is separated by the Pedernales River from the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.
LBJ State Park and Historic Area is separated by the Pedernales River from the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.
Sign at entrance to Johnson National Historical Park
Rear view of President Johnson birthplace
Young Johnson briefly attended this former one-room school c. 1914.
Outhouse at Johnson birthplace
Cattle in the park are descended from former livestock of President Johnson.
Farmhouse of Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr., the grandfather of President Johnson; he died when Lyndon was six years old.
Though he was affiliated with the Disciples of Christ denomination, President Johnson often worshipped while at his ranch at the Trinity Lutheran Church (shown in the background).
Air Force One used to bring Lyndon Johnson to the Texas White House
Chuckwagon at LBJ Ranch used for preparing barbecues.
Large live oak tree in front of entrance to LBJ Ranch
The pool at the LBJ Ranch was installed in 1955 after then Senator Johnson's heart attack. He was supposed to use it for exercise, but Mrs. Johnson spent far more time in the water.
Guests at the LBJ Ranch were sometimes invited to place their names in cement for posterity; here one can see the names of Orville Freeman, Curtis LeMay, and singer Eddy Arnold.
United States Secret Service agents guarding President Johnson lived in this small house while on duty at the LBJ Ranch.
The graves of Lady Bird and Lyndon Johnson (his with flag) at family cemetery in the national historical park; the public is not allowed entry into the cemetery.
President Johnson and Vice-president-elect Humphrey in LBJ ranch shortly after winning 1964 election