05/28/2026
The childhood home of Lady Bird Johnson in East Texas - Before she became First Lady of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson was a little girl growing up among the pine trees and bayous of East Texas.
Born Claudia Alta Taylor on December 22, 1912, in Karnack, Lady Bird spent her childhood in the quiet countryside of Harrison County. Her nursemaid reportedly gave her the nickname “Lady Bird” when she was just a baby, saying she was “pretty as a ladybird,” and the name stuck for life. Mrs. Johnson graduated from Marshall High School in 1928 and attended Saint Mary's Episcopal School for Girls in Dallas from 1928 to 1930. She then entered The University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1933 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and in 1934, with a Bachelor of Journalism with honors.
Though she would eventually live in the White House and become one of the most recognized women in America, Lady Bird never forgot her East Texas roots. She often spoke fondly of the beauty of the Piney Woods, wildflowers, and the natural landscapes she loved as a child. That lifelong appreciation would later inspire her famous beautification projects as First Lady during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration.
