Friends of Johnson raised the money to buy the land across the Pedernales River from Johnson's Ranch (now part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park) for the park and donated the land to the State of Texas in 1965. The master plan for the park was developed by Austin-area architect J. Roy White, a personal friend of the Johnson family who had worked extensively on the Johnson Ranch. White also designed the park's visitor center.[1] The 269-acre (109 ha) park was officially dedicated in August, 1970, in a ceremony attended by the Johnson family and a host of dignitaries. Since the dedication, the park has been expanded to approximately 732.75 acres (297 ha).
Features
The park has a large visitor center complex with an interpretive center about Johnson's life. Tours of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park are by permit only and are by self-guided driving tour departing from the state park's visitor center.
The Sauer-Beckmann Farmstead was settled by John Sauer and his family in the late 19th century and then by Herman Beckmann and his sons in the early 20th century. The Sauer-Beckmann Farmstead is a living history farm that presents rural Texas life as it was around 1918. The park interpreters wear period clothing and perform the daily routine of life using period tools and techniques.