The Johnson Cabin

The Johnson Cabin. . For five years (1867-1872) this cabin was the home of Samuel Ealy Johnson and his wife Eliza. While Sam ran the family's cattle business, Eliza attended by hand to virtually every detail of running the ranch. She hauled water, spun wool, made clothes, cooked meals, and tended the animals. Self-sufficiency was a must; the nearest store was in Blanco, a day's ride away., The Johnson Cabin is typical of the "dogtrot" cabins that were once common in Texas. The west wing (nearest you) was built first, in 1856; Sam Johnson added the east wing about 1868. The shaded breezeway - through which a dog could easily trot - provided storage space and much-needed relief during the hill country's blistering summers., Captions , Lower Center: President Johnson reveled in telling the story of his frontier grandparents - Indian raids, domestic toil, hardships of the trail. In this 1940s photo, he tours the cabin with (left to right) Uncle Tom Johnson, Rebekah Johnson, daughter Lynda (in LBJ's arms), Uncle Berry Roebuck, and Lady Bird Johnson., Lower Right: Eliza Bunton Johnson (above) LBJ's paternal grandmother.