J. W. and Ruth Baines House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the J. W. and Ruth Baines House in Gillespie County. Now settle in, because this one carries some weight before we even get to the punchline.

The story of one house on one piece of Texas ground, and what grew out of the family that built it. Joseph W. Baines and his wife Ruth, born a Huffman, were the maternal grandparents of President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

That's the headline, sure. But let's back up and meet these two properly, because they earned this house. Joseph had served in the Civil War.

He had worked as a journalist. He had served as Texas Secretary of State. He had been a legislator and an attorney.

The man had lived several lives before he ever poured a single foundation. Then in 1904, Joseph and Ruth built their home right here. And they didn't build it plain.

They used prefabricated cement blocks on the exterior, blocks made locally by two craftsmen named Hugo and Henry Basse. Those blocks came to be known as Basse Blocks, and you can still see them on the outside of this house. The craftsmanship didn't stop there.

The home features a gabled dormer with paired windows sitting above the entryway, jigsawn fretwork, and turned columns. Somebody wanted this place to announce itself. Now here is where the story turns quiet.

Joseph passed away, and Ruth, widowed, sold the home in 1907. That same year, their daughter Rebekah wed a man named Sam Johnson. The grandparents built the house.

The daughter left to start a family of her own. And somewhere down the line, that family produced a President. One house, Basse Blocks and all, and it sits right at the root of it.

What the marker says

J.W. and Ruth Baines House Joseph W. and Ruth (Huffman) Baines, maternal grandparents of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, built their home here in 1904, following Joseph's service in the Civil War and a career as a journalist, Texas Secretary of State, legislator and attorney. The couple used prefabricated cement blocks, made locally by Hugo and Henry Basse, and known as Basse Blocks, on the exterior of the home. Other features include a gabled dormer with paired windows above the entryway, jigsawn fretwork and turned columns. The widowed Ruth sold the home in 1907, the same year daughter Rebekah wed Sam Johnson. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2002