Amenthal
Blanco, Blanco County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Constructed of native stone quarried near the site, this home was built in 1882-83 in Pittsburg (later annexed by Blanco) by Irish craftsman Laurence H. Wall. The total construction cost was $1,000. John Wilson Baines and his wife Ruth Ament Huffman (later grandparents of Lyndon Baines Johnson) purchased the home in 1887 and named it Amenthal. The house changed ownership several times after the Baines family left in 1904. Andrew J. Wagner purchased it in 1918, two years before he was elected county sheriff. The house remained in the Wagner family until 1943. (1990)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1882–83 of native stone by Irish craftsman Laurence H. Wall for about $1,000, this house stood in the small settlement of Pittsburg, later absorbed by Blanco. In 1887 it was bought by John Wilson Baines and his wife Ruth Ament Huffman—later the grandparents of President Lyndon Baines Johnson—who named it Amenthal. It passed through several owners after the Baines family left in 1904, including county sheriff Andrew J. Wagner.
Why it matters
The home ties a modest Hill Country stone house to the family roots of a future U.S. president, grounding LBJ's story in the frontier community that shaped his forebears.
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Related people
- · John Wilson Baines
- · Ruth Ament Huffman
- · Lyndon Baines Johnson
Themes & tags
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