Friendship Stones

At the Johnson Ranch, Lyndon Johnson and his family used “Friendship Stones” instead of a traditional guest register to record visits by dignitaries and friends. Visitors etched their autographs and the date of their visit into twelve-inch blocks of wet concrete, and the finished stones were incorporated into the landscape as pavers for walkways and sidewalks. More than 300 guests signed stones. To protect them from the weather, the stones were later removed from their original locations. Among those who signed were congressional leaders in November 1966, including House Speaker Carl Albert, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, future President Gerald Ford, and Senator Everett Dirksen, as well as Apollo 7 astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Donn E. Eisele, and Walter Cunningham, and NASA administrator Tom Paine in November 1968.

Stonewall, Texas · United States