First Christian Church of Johnson City
Johnson City, Blanco County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation was organized in 1903 by the Rev. Tom Smith, an evangelist with the Texas Christian Missionary Society, and twenty-six charter members. Land for a church building was given by Judge N. T. Stubbs and a sanctuary was completed in 1905-06. In its early years the congregation was served by traveling ministers. Among the members was Lyndon B. Johnson, who joined the congregation in 1923 at age fourteen following his baptism in the Pedernales River. The church continues to be an important part of the life of Johnson City. (1989)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1903 by traveling evangelist the Rev. Tom Smith and twenty-six charter members, this congregation built its first sanctuary in 1905–06 on land given by Judge N. T. Stubbs, relying in its early years on itinerant ministers. Among its members was young Lyndon B. Johnson, who joined in 1923 at age fourteen after his baptism in the Pedernales River.
Why it matters
A modest Hill Country church claims a formative chapter in the life of a future U.S. president, rooting national history in small-town Texas soil.
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Related people
- · Rev. Tom Smith
- · N. T. Stubbs
- · Lyndon B. Johnson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Dr. James F. Barnwell
Johnson City, TX
Born in Georgia in 1874 into a family of doctors, James Franklin Barnwell trained in medicine at the University of Tennessee and rode into Johnson City by horse-drawn buggy in 1898. In 1913 he built Blanco County's first hospital on the courthouse square, living on the first floor above wards equipped with the county's first x-ray machine and a Delco plant for electric light. A physician, surgeon, banker, and school board member, he served the county until his death in 1934.
1894 Blanco County Jail
Johnson City, TX
When the Blanco County seat moved to Johnson City, prisoners were first held in a damp basement, prompting the commissioners court to order a proper jail in 1893. Completed the next year, the limestone lockup was raised by Kansas-trained rock mason J. E. L. 'Kergie' Dildine. It survived an 1897 jailbreak and stayed in service for generations, adapted over time to meet state standards.
Blanco County Courthouse
Johnson City, TX
Built in 1916 to a design by San Antonio architect Henry T. Phelps, the Blanco County Courthouse was the first permanent courthouse raised after the county seat moved from Blanco to Johnson City in 1890. Its Classical Revival limestone form, with Doric columns and a domed cupola, was contracted by stonemason James Waterston, a Scottish immigrant who had helped build the Texas Capitol. The building anchored the small Hill Country seat that would later become known as Lyndon Johnson's hometown.
Blanco County
Johnson City, TX
Blanco County was carved from the neighboring counties of Burnet, Hays, Gillespie, and Comal, created and organized in the spring of 1858 in the Texas Hill Country. It took its name from the Blanco River that winds through the region. Blanco City served as county seat until 1890, when the honor passed to Johnson City, where it remains.