LBJ Museum of San Marcos Is Dedicated to Life of the 36th President
culture, lbj museum, lyndon baines johnson, san marcos, southwest texas state teachers college,
As 36th president of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson is a household name.
Even still, many Americans are not as familiar with LBJ the man as they are with LBJ the president. It is to these pre-presidential years that the LBJ Museum of San Marcos is dedicated.
LBJ spent several young adult years in San Marcos, attending Texas State University, which was then called Southwest Texas Teachers College.
“The mission of the museum is to narrate the life and career of Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president, focusing on his formative years at Southwest Texas State Teachers College and how these experiences impacted his leadership in the great society programs such as civil rights and education,” says Scott Jordan, director of the museum.
The museum, located on the downtown square in San Marcos, opened in December 2006 and features a permanent exhibit of photos, news clippings, artifacts, artwork and campaign memorabilia from LBJ’s life and career. The items on display span LBJ’s lifetime, but most of them focus on his years in San Marcos. There is also a rotating exhibit several times a year, such as a special oral history exhibit in fall 2008 to commemorate LBJ’s 100th birthday.
“People find it interesting that LBJ actually had a life before he was president,” Jordan says. “A lot of people have never seen early photographs and documents relating to him as a young man.”
The museum has about 1,200 visitors each year, Jordan says. Attendance is climbing each year as the new museum gains momentum.
“We bring a sense of history to the community, and we also bring a sense of pride that our university graduated a future president,” Jordan says. “Also, we bring the sense that any person with ambition in America can become successful, as LBJ did.”
Story by Michaela Jackson
Photo by Jesse Knish
