Johnson City in Blanco County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Johnson City
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 30, 2010
1. Johnson City Marker
“It was just a big family town. Nobody was rich, and everybody had plenty to eat and plenty to wear, and Lyndon was no different from the rest of us. I miss that little town, that feeling that everybody would do anything for anybody else. It was just a good, sweet, country town.”
No plumbing. No electricity. Unpaved streets. No place to buy a loaf of bread or a pound of meat. A cafe that sometimes hung out a sign, “Closed for lunch.” The courthouse, a cotton-gin, a ramshackle hotel. Three churches.
This was the Johnson City of Lyndon B. Johnson's youth. Here, comfort and amusement came mostly from one's family and neighbors.
Many of the buildings of Johnson City's early days still stand. The strong sense of community that forever attracted Lyndon Johnson back to this place still endures.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #36 Lyndon B. Johnson series list.
Location. 30° 16.476′ N, 98° 24.665′ W. Marker is in Johnson City, Texas, in Blanco County. Marker is
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The LBJ Legacy (a few steps from this marker); Johnson Settlement Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); LBJ Boyhood Home (within shouting distance of this marker); L. B. J. Boyhood Home (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lyndon B. Johnson and Hill Country Electrification (about 500 feet away); Pedernales Electric Cooperative (about 500 feet away); Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Inc. (about 600 feet away); E. Babe Smith (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Johnson City.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 30, 2010
2. Johnson City Photo on Marker
[Caption reads] A sidewalk gathering. LBJ often supplemented the stiff boots and big stetsons so common in town with a white shirt and necktie. One school mate remembered him as "a small-town jelly bean, a sharpie."
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 30, 2010
3. Johnson City Marker
[Caption reads] The Blanco County Courthouse -
focal point of Johnson City. Said Emmette Redford, LBJ's lifelong friend:
"There wasn't anything in town except three churches and a courthouse, and although Lyndon and I gave some attention to what was going on in the churches, we were more interested in what was happening in the courthouse."
focal point of Johnson City. Said Emmette Redford, LBJ's lifelong friend:
"There wasn't anything in town except three churches and a courthouse, and although Lyndon and I gave some attention to what was going on in the churches, we were more interested in what was happening in the courthouse."
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 30, 2010
4. Johnson City Marker
Looking NNE from the LBJ National Historical Site Visitor Center.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 30, 2010
5. Johnson City Marker
On right, with LBJ National Historical Site Visitor Center in background.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 30, 2010
6. Courthouse in Johnson City
Credits. This page was last revised on December 4, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 948 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 23, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
