LBJ Presidential Library and Museum

The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum is a home to invaluable pieces of American history. Inside the 10-story, travertine-encased building, a vast collection of Lyndon Baines Johnson’s presidential artifacts provides transparency of his administration and helps visitors make sense of the 1960s. In fact, the archives are among the first things you’ll see on your visit. Four floors of red archival boxes, neatly arranged in rows of 175 and stacked six high, reside behind floor-to-ceiling glass in the Great Hall. “There is no record of a mistake, nothing critical, ugly, or unpleasant that is not included in the files here. We have papers from my 40 years of public service in one place, for friend and foe to judge, to approve or to disapprove,” said President Johnson during the dedication of his library. LBJ continued, “So, Mr. President, here are 31 million documents, to be preserved for the Nation—for all to review and evaluate—which reflect what man can do and cannot do in one life.”

Since the library’s dedication, the repository has expanded to include 45 million pages of documents, 650,000 photos, 5000 hours of recordings from LBJ’s political career, 643 hours of recorded phone calls from his presidency, and more than 54,000 artifacts donated by the Johnsons, their family, friends, associates, and the American people.

The Great Hall is a massive space, equivalent to 6.6 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The hall accommodates not only the archives but also permanent exhibits, temporary exhibits, and artwork. A stunning photo-engraved mural portrays LBJ during his political career. The 50-foot mural depicts Congressman Johnson with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Senator Johnson with President Truman, Senator Majority Leader Johnson with President Eisenhower, Vice President Johnson with President Kennedy, and finally, Johnson as the 36^th president.

The museum’s exhibits take a candid look at Lyndon Baines Johnson, his career, and the tumultuous era in which he served, beginning with JFK’s assassination and Johnson’s transition to the presidency aboard Air Force One. As you continue your tour, you’ll discover the immense impact President Johnson had on social reform in the U.S. He worked tirelessly to diminish poverty, promote education, provide healthcare, protect the environment, and abolish segregation. LBJ’s drive to achieve the Great Society led to him signing over 200 landmark laws in his five years in office. Permanent exhibits showcase the Civil Rights Acts and Voting Rights Acts that President Johnson championed. Along the way, you’ll have opportunities to listen to his voice. You’ll be able to hear Johnson talk with Martin Luther King in November of 1963 and with Jackie Kennedy in December of the same year.

The 1960s were stormy times for the U.S. both at home and abroad. The museum takes an uncensored look at President Johnson’s entrance into the Vietnam War. A portion of the Vietnam Wall engraved with 335 names of men killed or missing in action during a single week in March 1968 stands as a poignant reminder of America’s loss.

Be sure to make your way to the tenth floor of the museum where you’ll see not only the Oval Office and Lady Bird’s office, but a film and exhibit of the Johnsons’ family life. Nearby, an exhibit showcases a treasure trove of gifts received during state visits and from the American people.

Throughout the year, the museum offers temporary exhibits drawing from the massive repository of archives. The exhibitions portray the inner workings of the LBJ White House and the Sixties with the candor that LBJ insisted upon. As President Johnson said during the library’s dedication, “It is all here: the story of our time with the bark off.”