July 8, 1967. LBJ makes a surprise visit to the house he grew up in.
“At the Boyhood Home in Johnson City. Outside the President greeted the tourists, signed autographs, posed for pictures. He then went inside w/ his guests, being greeted by Mrs. Jessie Hunter. The President went through the home, pointing out various items to his guests from. Time-Life and the tourists who were in the home. Mrs. Jessie Hunter gave the President and his guests some Delaware Punch to drink."
President’s Daily Diary, 7/8/67.
You can still visit the Boyhood Home yourself in Johnson City.
May 29, 1967. LBJ is at the Ranch. It is the calm before the storm breaks in the Middle East.
“9:55 am. The President, mf [Marie Fehmer,secretary] and mary s [Mary Slater, secretary] departed the main house by Lincoln convertible (the top down)–went to the Cedar House to pick up Mrs. Krim.
10:00 am. The President, Mrs. Krim, mf and mary s departed the Cedar House.
10:07-10:09 am. Stopped to watch, the unloading of barley, asking how many bushels had been harvested.
10:10-10:16am. Stopped to see Dale Malechek [ranch foreman] where he was working on the fertilizer machine. They talked about the rain which had fallen this morning, talked about the fawns, the new tanks, and stocking the tanks with fish.
10:16 am. Riding again.
10:42 am. Stopped briefly to see a little doe that was following the President’s car. She had apparently been a pet, for the little doe came up to the car and allowed the passengers to pet her."
From the Daily Diary. Photo: The Lincoln, still at the LBJ Ranch.
May 7, 1967. At the Ranch LBJ hosts what the Daily Diary describes as a “STRICTLY OFF THE RECORD MEETING: (a fundraising dinner in Texas in the near future).” The next day, LBJ greets the public at Randolph Air Force Base before his return to Washington.
LBJ Presidential Library photos #5314-8 and #5319-07, public domain.
April 1, 1967. 1:57 PM. The Latin American ambassadors enjoy barbecue at the Ranch, They are joined by many eminent Texans, including Governor John Connally and Cong. Jake Pickle, Senator John Tower, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Ben Barnes–and a mariachi band from Brownsville.
After remarks by emcee Cactus Pryor, a TV personality on the Johnsons’ station KTBC, entertainment is provided by Fort Griffin Fandangle of Albany, Texas. According to the Daily Diary, the troupe reenacted the history of Texas–complete with Indians, cowboys, missionaries, and covered wagons–with a cast of breathtaking diversity:
“The entire cast consists of amateurs ranging from the town doctor, a Methodist Minister, 3 millionaires, a number of graduates from Yale and Princeton, beauty shop operator, telephone operator, deputy sheriff, housewives and gas station operator.”
LBJ Presidential Library photos C4925-25a, C4885-11, C4885-34a, C4901-10, C4893-24a, C4887-13, C4894-9a, C4886-6, C4891-10, C4934-21; public domain.
December 30, 1966. Lady Bird Johnson, President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Don Thomas look at art in the LBJ Ranch hangar.
LBJ Presidential Library photo #4219-0020, public domain.
December 21, 1966. LBJ makes his case to a meeting of Democratic state Governors at the LBJ Ranch. The meeting was by request of the Governors, who had determined at a meeting of their own in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, earlier in December that they needed more input into the creation of federal policies that impact their states, You can read those meeting notes here. As Lady Bird noted on Dec. 16, their unhappiness with some of White House’s policies had become national news, and LBJ hopes to soothe their ruffled feathers.
From left to right, those facing the camera only) Gov. Richard Hughes (New Jersey), President Lyndon B. Johnson, aide Marvin Watson, (former) Gov. Farris Bryant (Florida). Other governors in attendance today are: Dan K. Moore (North Carolina), Robert E. McNair (South Carolina), Mills E. Godwin, Jr. (Virginia), Hulett Smith (West Virginia), Philip H. Hoff (Vermont), Harold E. Hughes (Iowa), John Connally (Texas), Karl F. Rolvaag (Minnesota), and Warren E. Hearnes (Missouri).
LBJ Presidential Library photo #4164-19.
September 23-24, 1966. LBJ and Lady Bird head to the ranch for a couple of days, and a White House photographer snaps this picture there of a curious deer.
LBJ Presidential Library #C3224-30A, public domain.
December 24, 1965. Merry Christmas, LBJ!
Photo 1110-3, LBJ Library. Public domain. LBJ Ranch.
In the 1890s, the Johnson family posed in front of what would be Lyndon B. Johnson’s birthplace in Stonewall, TX.
In 1964, President Johnson had the birthplace reconstructed. Now you can visit it!