"Three things, and three things only sustain life on this planet. They are a thin layer of soil, a cover of atmosphere and a little rainfall. This is all that the good Lord has given us, except one thing. He has given us a choice of what we'll do with it. We can waste it, we can pollute it, we can neglect it. Or we can conserve it, we can protect it... We can pass it along to our children, more promising and abundant than we found it."--President Johnson comments about preserving the Hill Country of Texas recorded after his retirement for bus tour of LBJ National Historic Park, Ranch Unit.

Welcome to Johnson City, LBJ Country - homeland of the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, the Texas Hill Country, and most recently, the Texas Wine Country! You are cybertourist number: since August 1st, 1999. Let us know if you enjoyed your visit and if you have any questions, send shoot 'em to us.

This is a guide to what is known as LBJ country in the Texas Hill Country. At the time Lyndon Johnson retired from public life in 1969, this part of central Texas was known as LBJ Country. Mainly an agricultural area populated by cattle, goat and other livestock ranches with little urban development or rural residential growth, vineyards and wineries were unknown in the early 1970s, unlike the comparable historic California wine growing centers which dated back to Spanish colonial days. Cornerstone of LBJ County, The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical park includes two units separated by a dozen miles. The Boyhood Home in Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch (Texas White House) in Stonewall, was home of the the 36th President of the United States of America. This area is essentially the heart of the Texas Hill Country as it is understood today. Besides Johnson City and LBJ National Park, area attractions include LBJ State Park, the cities of Fredericksburg, Stonewall, Blanco and Round Mountain, Pedernales Falls State Park, Blanco State Park, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Inks Lake State Park, Longhorn Caverns, the Highland Lakes and their associated communities such as Marble Falls, Kingsland, and Llano. Today, the area boasts numerous (more than Napa Valley) vineyards and cozy Bed and Breakfast facilities. You can see photo highlights of our area at Flickr at this web address: PHOTOS. Additionally, you can see many of the species of plants and animals inhabiting this portion of the Texas Hill Country here: iNaturalist Here's looking at us, kids.

Johnson City, Texas, was not the birthplace of Lyndon Johnson -- he was born outside of town upriver on the banks of the Pedernales River in his family home in 1908. His family moved to Johnson City in 1913 where he lived in the middle class home now known as the Boyhood Home. Johnson City is the town where he went to quickly through school - his mother Rebekah was a Baylor University graduate, and being the son of a Texas legislator, Lyndon learned the crafty art of politics in which he excelled. He was adept at leading local friends on sometimes scandalous escapades such as raiding a Mr. Lindig's wine cellar during Prohibition. The small rural community of Stonewall was where Sam Ealy Johnson farmed when Lyndon was born. The land is a short distance from Johnson City and was bought by Lyndon Johnson when he was a member of Congress. The LBJ Ranch, as it was known, is now part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, The Boyhood Home in Johnson City is now a national landmark Lyndon Johnson Boyhood Home, one part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Park in Johnson City.

Lyndon was educated at an early age into the vagaries of political life by his father who, being a state legislator for 12 years, took Lyndon with him on his many treks through his congressional district and to the Texas Capital, Austin. When Lyndon was just a small boy shining shoes in front of the Maddox Barber Shop, he was, according to his cousin, Ava Cox, already remonstrating political action and declared early on his desire to be president. Lyndon graduated from high school at age 15 in 1928, making him the youngest student ever to graduate from high school here in town.

Meanwhile Lyndon was the peach in his mother's eye. A school teacher by profession, Rebekah loved her little boy and encouraged him to dream of playing an important role in the newly emergent economic powerhouse that the state of Texas was to become under his tutelage. She instilled in him the value of personal education and the reasonableness of the idea that education should be made available to everyone. Partly to please his mother, but also to please himself, Lyndon followed in her footsteps and matriculated from Southwest Texas State Teacher's College in nearby San Marcus. He took up the teaching profession, took off a year from collegiate studies to be principal of a public school in Cotulla, Texas during the early 30's. There he fought discrimination and prejudice against Mexican Americans and solidified his commitment to civil justice for all Americans. Lyndon's appreciation for education led to his great commitment to the idea that education should be affordable for all. As President he enacted numerous pieces of legislation that enhanced and advanced the field of higher education. Beginning with the Reagan administration in the early 1980's the Federal government began to turn away from the commitment to education initiated by Lyndon Johnson. Many of us alive today have received degrees of higher learning because of the care for and devotion to public education by the 36th President of the United States, our first Education President. Click here for a detailed description of young Lyndon Johnson's life: LBJ, A Life

As we have seen, Johnson City is the Headquarters of the LBJ National Historical Park. The Visitor Center is located two blocks off U.S. Highway 290 West, the highway that takes you to the LBJ National Historical Park LBJ Ranch Division, Stonewall, and Fredericksburg, a tourist destination for thousands of visitors each year. Still, we are talking about Johnson City sites, here.

Located on the west side of the National Historical Park complex is the Johnson Settlement the original piece of land bought by Sam Ealy Johnson, Lyndon's grandfather as part of his land holdings which, according to Robert Caro in The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power, made the Johnsons' one of the largest land holders in all of Blanco, Gillespie, Hays, Comal, and Kendall counties. In the early 1870's Johnson's fortune was built on cattle - Longhorn cattle - a breed especially suitable for the harsh grazing conditions often encountered by ranchers in Texas. The Johnsons were one of the important cattle drive businessmen in the area. Each year he would assemble a large group of cattle from neighboring ranchers and drive the cattle north to the railheads in Kansas along what became the Chisholm Trail. The Chisholm Trail had its origins in Mexico and traced its way northward to Kansas. One could easily imagine the droves of cattle herding right through the heart of the Texas Hill Country near Johnson City on their way to Abilene, Kansas and the rail heads from back east. To be more precise, the trail wasn't really a set course, rather it meandered over a broad area in this part of Texas. Practically any location could claim to be on the trail, but basically, it ran where IH 35 runs today, give or take fifty miles on either side or two. Although the Johnson family lost possession of the spread by the economic crash of 1873, Lyndon later bought back the old ranch on the Pedernales River to add to his dream of preserving the Johnson family story for the country. This piece of land comprising of about 70 acres has several historical structures maintained by the National Park Service as testimony and tribute to the frontier life of the Nineteenth Century. A small museum showcases the life and times of the Hill country citizens during the time of the Texas trail drives. Photographs at the museum clearly detail the harshness of the toil involved for the pioneers living on the central Texas frontier. As livestock was an integral aspect of this post civil war life, the park maintains a small herd of Texas longhorns which calve each Spring.The museum is worth a visit.

A walk along the settlement's Nature Trail and roads highlights the look and feel of the Hill Country in less complicated and populous times. The Johnson Settlement provides the traveler and visitor a haven from the congestion of similar parks and facilities elsewhere and allows a leisure exploration and insightful glimpse at the area's recent wild--as in wilderness, not gunslinging--past. Of particular note are the birds and plants that grow and thrive throughout the settlement, some which are found nowhere else but the Texas Hill Country or are endangered because of loss of critical habitat due to harmful past agricultural practices and contemporary urban sprawl. In good years the Spring and Fall migrations of birds through the area is impressive and hundreds of species of birds are represented in the area. Central Texas is a flyway for substantial numbers of raptors, ducks, geese, cranes, and -- incredibly -- large flocks of White pelicans can seen twice each year, with luck. The nearby LCRA Pedernales Nature Park is winter home for flocks of ducks, other water fowl, Ospreys and Bald Eagles have returned to their former home in the Texas Hill Country. Check out all my flora and fauna photographs of our area here on iNaturalist

In the Fall the migration of Monarch butterflies occurs. The colorful insects wing their way through the area to their Mexican wintering grounds. During years of normal rainfall (28") wildflowers and other flowering plants that dazzle the eye and senses bloom colorfully year round. Of course, the depicted photo on the left is not that of a Monarch butterfly. But the ones on the lavender flowers are! Monarch populations seem to have crashed the last few years, and few of the butterflies wind their way through our area. Mexico is alarmed at the sharp decline they see in the Monarch's Sierra Madre winter home. I have additional information about the plight of Monarch Butterflies here: Monarch Butterflies: Is Mexico soley responsible for the decline of this species' numbers?

Most of these pictures taken at Johnson Settlement, LBJ National Historical Park September 19-21, 1999 by Bill Arbon. The picture with the yellow golden grass is a view of the Dogtrot house to the southeast, early afternoon, late summer. The impact of extended drought can be seen, contrasting with the soft green of early spring reflecting the adequate rainfall received over winter of 1999. The hand-made well that was dug by hand and rocked in with large stones shows how close the water table here in Johnson City is to the surface of the land. This was the primary factor in this settlement in the 1850's - nearby access to water. The well has never run dry even during years of extended extreme drought. There is a spring fed pot hole pond nearby that undoubtedly supplied the settling families water while they constructed their well.

The photo below shows the adjacent barn built (ca 1880) by the Bruckner family after the Johnson family temporarily left the area. It was used by the tenants to support their ranch and farm livelihood. Besides serving as an agricultural center, this building also served as a bastion in which persons could barricade themselves in case of marauding indians, although native Americans had ceased living or moving through the surrounding country. The huge limestone edifice was several feet thick and had gun ports incorporated into its design. The imposing strength of the structure is readily apparent in the following view of north side, photographer facing south.

Many of the animal species living on the site are very important to the ecology of the Settlement - be it prairie or wetland. For example, two species of ground squirrel inhabit the park; Mexican ground squirrels and rock squirrels. Both of these squirrels prey very heavily on insects and contribute greatly to the control of insect pests. You can see more about these animals on the Mammals of Texas Online work at: The Mammals of Texas Online Edition, Link to Mexican Ground Squirrel, and Rock Squirrel to see the species information cited here. Also, see my photos of the deer and other animals that have used the protected area. It should be of paramount importance that these animals are protected in any effort to restore the land. I plan to keep an eye on developments of the National Park's Settlement plan to restore the land to prairie and will update what I learn here.

In addition to the LBJ Boyhood home, sites of significant historical interest include the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Headquarters, a major component of the rural electrification project undertaken during the 30's and 40's that brought remote rural areas into the Twentyth Century and beyond. The P.E.C., as its known around here, employs many local family members and is the engine of Johnson City's economy. Without the political petitioning to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the part of Congressman Lyndon Johnson, the electric coop would not have been built.

Faced with limestone in an effort designed to reflect the rustic vastness of the Texas realm, the architecture of the main P.E.C. Headquarters office building is 1960's western modern set upon an older1930's modern Art Deco building. Unfortunately the older design reflecting the streamlined design of the 1930's is subsumed by the newer. Nevertheless, still an attractive building it remains true to the spirit of the area as one of three government edifices that make up the federal district of town, the P.E.C. headquarters on the east, the Boyhood Home and Visitor Center on the south and west, and the modern Post Office on the north side of the complex.

The P.E.C. is owner operated and is governed by a board of directors elected from local, member residents and was, of course, a creation of Lyndon Johnson during the 1930's when he was a New Deal Democrat.

Johnson City has never been a place where it was easy to make easy money or even make a living. Easily destabilized by national or state economic tides, Johnson City remains at the mercy of outside influences it has little control over. And having no economic enterprise uniquely its own to fall back upon-save those created through the energy of Lyndon Johnson-Johnson City remains vulnerable to the vagaries of today's high tech economy. In the past, agriculture played a key role in the long history of the town. Most of the old original buildings(fewer as time goes by) have seen a variety of enterprises trying to make a financial go of it.

These days, only a handful of establishments survive for more than a couple of years, and only a few buildings are still functioning in their original capacity. Darker clouds loom. Some of the larger businesses in town such as the Johnson City Bank have undertaken plans to 'modernize' down town. Drastic alterations and customizations scar these newer interpretations which ultimately work against the historical preservation of the downtown Lyndon Johnson once knew. Still, other buildings such as Blanco County Supply, facing the Courthouse on the town square, remain well worth visiting. Sadly, it no longer functions as our homegrown hardware store. A look at the other old buildings clearly illustrates the extremely difficult economic conditions endured by this frontier town time and time again-and easily show their vulnerability to the whims of today's strip mall tastes. Some of the downtown buildings and their current occupants are:

• Bryan's Confectionary -- This old limestone building on Nugent Avenue reeked of real wild western days and has seen a variety of uses since the LBJ presidency. It has recently undergone an extensive alteration. The then owner wanted to create a New York style of sensibility for this building. (And I thought this was Johnson City, Texas;-) A sturdy old wooden awning was torn down to aide in this latest big city interpretation of downtown Johnson City.
• Blanco County Supply -- Nelson Wither's unique hardware store occupies a M-shaped Quonset Hut on the town square across the street from the Blanco County Courthouse. Recently sold to new owners, who remodeled it and now operate a brewery.
• Barrow's Drive In Movie Theater -- Down Nugent Avenue (Loop 365) from the Court House, the Betty Jo Broadbeck's (Barrow) family home was smartly designed to also serve as a drive-in movie theater. Until recently the drive-in still had the ticket booth and drive that took movie goers to the backyard parking lot.
• Casparis Cafe on Nugent Street (old Main Street) -- Impeckable Aviaries since 1980, this cafe was also a meat market and an important social center for the community. Lyndon Johnson worked and ate here as a young boy and took Mrs. Casparis' recipe, so the story goes, to the White House in 1963. There was always a pot of chili bubbling on the stove of the White House's kitchen.
• Cox's Ford Dealer at the corner of Nugent Avenue and U.S. Highway 290, has housed many different activities including a bridal shop, a florist, a cafe and antique store, as well as the only Ford dealership in town. The building once again is an antique store.
• Crider BuildingOn the corner opposite Pearl Hotel. Radically remodeled from its early 50's auto dealership days (was at one time, the Chevy dealer - opposite side of street and down the block from arch - rival Ford dealership in the Cox building). This building has had several make overs during its 70+ years. Perhaps the most interesting was as a drive-in garage/gasoline station that enabled customers to enter off a side street and exit on Main Street (now Nugent Avenue). As a drive in bank, this could have been one of the most interesting architectural buildings in downtown. Unfortunately, such a re-creation is now a long way off. Trivia: Lyndon and his Crider family friends, Walter and Otto drove off to to visit Lyndon's Uncle Martin in California from the corner of Crider's Garage.
• Crider's Grocery Store on Highway 290 West -- Now a local gym. Underneath the stucco exterior, the limestone river rock of the original structure survives underneath. Currently a gym. See former owner Vernon Crider's story below related to 'King' Casparis' Bar.
• Fawcett Drug Store For many years was Green's Drug Store. Has been an antique store, is currently a gallery.
• Johnson City Bank is housed in an old rock building that also contained LBJ's office when he was in town. This venerable old limestone building has been a hardware store, hotel, retirement center, dance hall, boarding house, apartments, and law office, and served temporarily as Blanco County Courthouse until the present courthouse was completed in 1916. Presently home of the Johnson City Bank. It has been extensively modified and added to by the current occupants of the bank. It has in fact, lost its ability to have a historic plaque placed on the edifice, but a bust of President Lyndon Johnson resides in the main lobby.
• ?Immediately next to the old stone Bank building on US 290 (now Main Street!?) -- originally a cafe, the building became the press center when LBJ served as President.
• King Casparis Bar106 Nugent Avenue. Operated by Blanco County Sheriff "King" Casparis. May have been closed down during Prohibition - giving a certain Mr. Lindig room to hawk his 'medinal' Mustang grape wine around Blanco County. Operated by the Clem Lindig for many years afterwards. Since, the bar has had several owners and a multitude of renters operating the bar. It was the elder Mr. Lindig whose prohibition medicinal wine twelve year old Lyndon Johnson and his friends - including the Crider Boys - tapped. Their behavior was noticed by many locals and there was hell to pay when the story of the boy's depredations was told. Mr. Vernon Crider wailed to me as he related the story that the only problem he had with the story was he wasn't included in the raid because he was too young at the time! Presently houses Kenny's Cantina.
• Nothings Hobby Shop -- Retired school teacher Louise Gibson's old antique and resale shop. Now a digital imaging gallery in keeping with the newest fad in downtown: art galleries. Louise and her husband M.O. lived on a ranch outside of town and were invited guests at the LBJ Ranch when the President was in town. Note: Louise has since closed her store and is no longer living. A great friend, her presence is sorely missed. Her store is now renovated into an art gallery, named The Arthouse. Originally, the building housed M.O. Gibson's Western Auto store.
• A.J.'s Barber Shop -- Located on Nugent Avenue and until recently still functioning as a barber shop, this small metal-faced building has remained nearly unchanged since it was built.
• Simpson Building, 108 Nugent Avenue, next to the altered King Casparis Bar. The old gas company shop has served the use of many enterprises over the years. Long the home of the Johnson City Record Courier, the oldest established city newspaper's home, the store has since been a cosmetic wholesale outlet and is now home of Rare Bird Gallery, Elaine's and my antique, art gallery, and bird food retail store. We specialize in 50's and 60's collectibles, lamps and furnishings and will soon be putting a link here to take you to the planned web page up of this enterprise. The web page is now up and you can reach the gallery at this address: Rare Bird Gallery
  . Originally a barber shop owned by Cecil Maddox with a beauty shop, Agnes' in the back. Agnes' original signs were recently uncovered by maintenance work and can now be seen. According to Ava Cox, Lyndon's cousin, LBJ shined shoes outside the barber shop and talked politics to the area men. His is reported to have said he would be president some day. Ava got mad when people asked her if Lyndon Johnson was her cousin. She would always answer, "No, he is my cousin, as I was born first." Building recently bought by Johnson City Bank and sits unoccupied for now.
• Sharp Building -- Now -- this building was for many years the office of Hattie (Casparis) Sharp, Accountant and Realtor. While the interior has been slightly modified, the facade still suggests the Johnson City of Lyndon's time, although modernized out of balance with it's original pastel tile being replaced with large unattractive dark ones. The building now houses an insurance company and the Johnson City Record Courier.
• Stein Lumber Company Now remodeled, the Johnson City Stein's Lumber Company shares its architectural design with its home office, Stein's Lumber Company of Fredericksburg, both which reflect their Spanish inspired look complete with a horse-shoe arch connecting the lumber yard with the main building.
• Theater Building -- Owned and operated by the late Betty Jo Broadbeck's family and former county judge Mike Barrow's enterprise on Nugent Avenue, the old movie theater still exists. Unfortunately, it has been remodeled to conform with the 'newer' western design and has lost some of its architectural uniqueness when its round ticket booth was walled in to make a flat facade at the front of the building. Even so, the building's design still fits the feel and look of the town LBJ knew while growing up.
• Trapani Building -- Former owner Bill Trapani's building is the original bank in Johnson City. An old limestone rock building covered over with adobe for many years, Trapani shocked the little town when he bought it and removed the adobe patina revealing for many old time Johnson City residents the hewn limestone jewel that lay beneath the facade. It must be ironic that the newest renovations in old downtown Johnson City are reverting to the old fake western Stucco patina that covers over so many of the original rock, stone and brick of the original buildings.

  All these buildings can be seen and explored in the National Park Service's 'Walking Tour of Johnson City' which follows this route from the boyhood home and park headquarters. A brochure is available from the park's Visitor Center.

  Early in 1997, the City of Johnson City established a Historical Preservation Ordinance and appointed several interested citizens to the advisory Historic Review Board, including Elaine and me. We hope to be able to persuade others in the community to invest more energy into saving features in the town that showcase both its frontier history (as opposed to wild western history which the town was not a part) as well as its important influence upon the young life and career of Lyndon B. Johnson. Of course, there is an equally compelling fact that, in turn, Lyndon Johnson had a great influence upon his own community. It is not only extremly wise to preserve the past in its original form for historical reasons, but preservation can enhance our small town economically, culturally, and esthetically as well. Several years ago in order to facilitate, the National Park Service had provided a grant to Southwest Texas State University's (LBJ's alma mater) Public History Program to conduct a survey of Johnson City's architectural resources. You can access this study at this site: Historic Resources Survey of Johnson City Texas This study, directed by Dr. Cynthia Brandimarte, reveals the historic legacy of Johnson City's early families. For a description of the purpose of the National Register, go here: National Register of Historic Places.This listing will more appropriately tie together the newly created downtown historic district -- which includes the present Blanco County Courthouse with the LBJ National Historical Park and Boyhood Home of Lyndon Johnson located a few blocks south at 200 East Elm Street, broadening the scope of sights to see and visit in Johnson City. News Flash Johnson City political infighting has taken its toll on this project and we will not be placing the old downtown Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Perhaps the best way to inspire the community to act to pursue the nomination is for you to express your opinion by emailing your comments to: Impeckable Aviaries or to LBJ National Historical Park Headquarters There is no doubt of the impact Johnson City had on the national history of the United States and it is past time we are recognized for being the important community we are thanks to the lifetime of effort that Lyndon Johnson, 36th President of the United States, gave to his hometown.

  On January 25, 1998, the Historic Review Board and the First Christian Church of Johnson City held a memorial service for the 36th President of the United States. We invited the citizens of town to join us in a special Sunday service to commemorate the life of our most illustrious citizen. The program we put together included these words I wrote for our commemeration:

Here is a list of recommended reading about the life and times of Lyndon B. Johnson.

• The Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson by LBJ advisor and historian Eric Goldman
• Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Remembering America by Richard Goodwin, husband of Doris Kerns Goodwin who shows you can like and dislike LBJ at the same time.
• LBJ An Irreverent Chronicle by Booth Mooney, a Texas poet and PR man who worked for LBJ and H L Hunt, famous Dallas millionaire.
• Hill Country by Richard Zelade, a first rate historian and travel guide writer. This Texas Monthly Guidebook is worth its weight in gold for those of you interested in the sights, sounds and history of Texan's beloved Hill Country. You can visit Richard Zelade's web site here: Richard Zelade's Webpage What to Do in Johnson City.
  Bring you kayaks, your hiking boots, your fishing gear, your dancing shoes, your laptop or other mobile device, bring your thinking cap, your beer mug, your wine glass and your Tomtom or other directional device. Come see our scenery, visit our shops, experience our history, enjoy our nature, and take in our night life and cuisine. Be sure to tell them you got the picture here.
  Lyndon Johnson Birthday Activities

  Lyndon Johnson's birthday is August 27th and each year on the week-end closest to the date, the National Park Service hosts a birthday party. Several of us private citizens tried to expand this observance and give it a true community dimension. While we have yet to succeed, we encourage you to visit the park at this time to celebrate the birthday of the 36th President of the United States. The last two years have seen the city of Johnson City back away from official ceremonies honoring the late President. And, as there are no other public festivities outside the gravesite ceremony at the LBJ Ranch, I especially recommend this Johnson family ceremony which is always officiated by some important dignitary of the LBJ era or family member. It is truly an impressive event. It is significant to note that this year will mark the 51th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the succession of Lyndon B. Johnson. The nation will take notice. Will Johnson City?

  To see what a great time we had in 1999, click here

The Blanco County News reporter Murlin Evans wrote this piece about Johnson City's and the National Park's celebration of the 90th Birthday Celebration of Lyndon Johnson.

Click here to see the Unofficial Guide's Local News Page. We will be posting news and views here that may have not been published in our local paper. Sometime, we need more information than is available, and what better way than establishing an online local news source? This is an experiment in improving local communication, so give us a try. Click here for Johnson City News and Letters.

Please visit Impeckable Aviaries Home Page!

Visit Elaine's Rare Bird Gallery here.

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