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Civil WarReconstruction & Gilded Age

Airy Mount Barn

Burnet, Burnet County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Kentucky native Adam Rankin Johnson (1834-1922) came to Texas in 1854. After attaining the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate Army, Johnson later settled in Burnet County where he was active in business and civic affairs. In 1882 he donated land for the railroad that carried Burnet County granite for the Texas State Capitol. This stone barn, on the homestead he called "Airy Mount", was built in the early 1880s and remained in the Johnson family until 1915. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Kentucky-born Adam Rankin Johnson came to Texas in 1854, rose to Confederate brigadier general during the Civil War, and afterward settled in Burnet County as a businessman and civic leader. In 1882 he gave land for the railroad that hauled Burnet County granite to build the Texas State Capitol, and around the same time raised this sturdy stone barn on his homestead. The barn is a rare surviving piece of his working estate.

Why it matters

It links a Confederate veteran's postwar reinvention to the railroad and granite that literally built the seat of Texas government.

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Related people

  • · Adam Rankin Johnson

Related events

  • · Construction of the Texas State Capitol

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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