A Page Out of History at LBJ Library

by Nadia LeeOct 20, 2014

I know you love books so that’s why we’re here.
You know this isn’t quite a library?

LBJ Library tl;dr

OK in all transparency, I didn’t know much about Lyndon B Johnson or LBJ before coming here but it was on a list of one of the top things to see in Austin so I had to check it out. In fact, prior to coming here I didn’t actually know it was more of a memorial paying homage to the late president and actually thought it was more of a library and since John Michael loves his books, I thought why not.

I’ll admit, besides seeing this on a number of lists, I didn’t actually do further research into what it was all about. Warning, if you aren’t into history and seeing actual artifacts from a past president or even some old items from historical moments in time like Mohammad Ali’s boxing gloves or dresses worn by past First Lady’s then you may want to skip this one.

Unlike the Austin State Capital, this is $8 for each adult for the entrance fee but cheaper for students; I believe $3.

President Lyndon B Johnson Text Mural in Austin

Since we trekked all the way over to the memorial in the heat, we decided to fork over the $8 each and check it out. While there I did learn some interesting facts including:

LBJ was very much a family man and his daughters were teens/young adults when he entered the presidency
He received the presidency after John F. Kennedy was assassinated
He was instrumental in the movement for equal rights and help formulate a “A Great Society”

Seal of the President of the United States on the Ceiling at the Lyndon B Johnson Library

Satellite That Was Used During President Lyndon B Johnson Era

He maximized opportunities whenever possible and utilized key moments in history like the death of MLK to push the equal rights agenda forward mobilizing the empathy of people in times of great sadness
His decision to get involved in the Vietnam War is probably what he is most known for due to the backlash it caused when in reality, the groundbreaking work he did to push equal opportunity for every American was more than many other US Presidents combined

President Lyndon B Johnson Old Voided Passport

While there, it was interesting to see things like an exact replica of the Oval Office that he used along with many pieces from his campaigns and time in office such as his political flyers, invitations to his inauguration and videos that provided more insight into how his personality and how he was able to move many initiatives forward during his presidency.

Picture of President Lyndon B Johnson on the Phone

Once again, this is something I’d do once and that’s it. But if you’re a history buff, it may be interesting for you to check out. If you would rather not, don’t worry, within this post there are a lot of pictures from the museum itself.

Lastly, at the end we found out there really isn’t any traditional library filled with books here for the general public. Just in case you were wondering, it is a historical tribute museum to LBJ and the era in which he held the presidency along with mementos from the 1960’s era.

Nadia at a Oval Office Replica at the Lyndon B Johnson Presidential Library