LBJ National Historic State Park- Sauer Beckmann Living History Farm Part 1

                                       Friday 4/12/2013

While in Fredericksburg, we went to the LBJ Historic State Park. It is about 15 miles east of Fredericksburg on Hwy 290.

The park is very large with lots to do. There is a Nature Trail, swimming pool, tennis courts, and a baseball field that can be reserved. The entrance is free. The Nature trail is 2.2 miles long, and has bird blinds.

We went into the Visitor Center Complex where there is also a book store and gift shop. The Visitor Center gave us a map and a CD for our drive through out the park.

The CD directed us to the Sauer Beckmann Living History Farm.

The Living History Farm has costume interpreters carry out day to day activities of a turn of the century Texas German farm family. The farm had pigs,

and cows.

This calf walked right up to me, so I petted it as Joe told me that there was a sign not to pet the animals. I pulled my hand away from the calf with his information.

This bull was huge. The farm also had sheep.

We walked pass the Blacksmith Shop.

Daily eggs are gathered from the hen house.

Animals like turkeys are butchered certain times of the year.

Johann and Christine Sauer with their 4 children settled this land in 1869. This was their first home.

This is the laundry room with a water barrel on top of the building.

The windmill pumps water up and into the barrel.

The family prospered and by 1885 several stone buildings were built near the original rock and log cabins. Eventually the Sauers had 10 children. Augusta Sauer Lindig, one of the 10 childern, served as a midwife for President Johnson. The Beckmann family acquired the property in 1900. A good crop of cotton in 1915 allowed the Beckmann's to build a new barn, and add porches to the Victorian home.  In 1966 Edna Beckmann Hightower sold the property to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments. The farm was opened to the public in 1975.

I really liked how the home had this porch between the two home. A kitchen was put in the old bedroom and the new home to the left had the living room and bedrooms.  A interpreter was in the kitchen and was making clabber, or cuds and whey ( or  as we call it today, cottage cheese) from the milked cows. 

The newest addition of the continued growing home.

A look from the first building to the last building as the family prospered.

Joe and I liked the glass bottles that were used to edge the flower/ herb garden.

Maybe they were beer bottles? Not sure.

Of course the farm had a large garden. The garden is plowed by  a team of horses, which can be seen on certain days. Other activities that might be seen is milking, feeding the livestock, slopping the hogs, churning butter, making cheese, scrubbing floors with homemade lye soap, and making lye soap.  To be continued:

We left Fredericksburg today and arrived in Austin, Texas for 3 days. I will continue blogging our adventures in Fredericksburg though.