CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
A photo from the LBJ Library
of LBJ and his constituents;
volunteers at Sauer-Beck-
mann Living History Farm
mind the house and tend the
garden.22 texashighways.com
DRIVE | FAMILY
Photos: Kenny BraunThe interpreters showed me the sum-
mer garden, recently planted with
squash, beans, corn, and okra. Nearby,
the storeroom overflowed with mason
jars of sauerkraut and produce har-
vested from the winter garden. A volun-
teer said that when the team cans food
on the wood-burning stove during the
summer, the kitchen gets as hot as 120
degrees. Lacking refrigeration, the inter-
preters, like the original farmers, turn the
milk from the cows into yogurt-like clab-
ber, butter, and cheeses that are stored at
room temperature.
As I walked to my car, I tipped my hat
to LBJ for his strategic request that the
farm be suspended in time. The bygone
chores are entertaining for kids, but they
also drive home two larger points: Life
in the Hill Country was terribly difficult
without electricity and, by extension,
Johnson should be celebrated for his role
in providing it.My last stop was the LBJ Library, where
a familiar awe washed over me as I en-
tered the Great Hall. Above me, four sto-
ries of crimson archival boxes, their gold
seals glowing, stood silent and proud
behind full-length windows. Most peo-
ple come here for the exhibits, but these
boxes are the real prize: They hold more
than 45 million pages of LBJ’s documents.
In my work, I have used them to research
hydroelectric power and the construc-
tion of the Highland Lakes—something I
never would have predicted when I came
here in ninth grade.
I didn’t remember much more than the
crimson boxes from my first visit here,
which is a shame. My high school history
classes always ran out of time to cover
anything after World War II, leaving me
to learn about the Vietnam War, the civil
rights movement, and the Great Society
in college. Today, I was struck by the dis-
plays about Medicare, Medicaid, and the