CELEBRATING LADY BIRD: WILDFLOWERS AND 50 YEARS IN MCKINNEY

by Lillie Miller

If you’ve taken a spring drive down a Texas highway, you’ve seen the long stretches of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and bright yellow coreopsis lining the roadsides. It feels like it has always been that way. But the reason Texas highways bloom each spring can be traced, in large part, to First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.

In 1965, Lady Bird Johnson championed the Highway Beautification Act, advocating for the preservation of scenic landscapes along America’s roads. In Texas, her influence inspired the large-scale planting and protection of native wildflowers. Rather than manicured landscaping, she encouraged the use of hardy native species already adapted to Texas soil and climate.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) established one of the largest roadside wildflower programs in the U.S., planting seeds in the fall to germinate over winter and bloom in spring. Reduced mowing from March through June allows flowers like the Texas Bluebonnet, Indian Paintbrush, Indian Blanket, and Coreopsis to spread naturally. Over time, many areas have become self-sustaining. Some wildflower patches seen today are long-established populations that TxDOT preserves simply by limiting mowing, avoiding herbicides, and allowing the flowers to mature and reseed each year.

These roadside blooms became part of how Texans experience their state. Today, family road trips, Sunday drives, spring photos, and college students returning home all connect to the rhythm of these flowers. Bluebonnets, our state flower, became symbols not just of spring, but of state pride.

Lady Bird’s commitment to beauty and preservation was not limited to highways and landscapes. It also extended to the communities and historic places of Texas, including McKinney. In November of 1976, Lady Bird Johnson spent a remarkable day in McKinney, Texas, bringing together local heritage, Texas history, national legacy, and civic pride in a single visit.

Lady Bird began the morning of November 18, 1976 by attending the unveiling of a Texas Historical Commission marker for the birthplace of Rebekah Baines Johnson, mother of President Lyndon B. Johnson, thirty-sixth president of the United States. The marker honored the Johnson family's early roots in McKinney.

Rebekah Baines Johnson (1881–1958) was born in McKinney in 1881, in a home adjacent to today’s Chestnut Square Historic Village. Her family settled in McKinney in 1867. Her father was Joseph Wilson Baines (1846–1906), a lawyer, educator, and newspaperman.

Joseph Wilson Baines taught school, edited the McKinney Advocate, and helped organize and build McKinney’s First Baptist Church. He and his wife, Ruth Huffman, daughter of a Peters Colony physician, lived on Chestnut Street in McKinney when their daughter Rebekah Baines was born. Joseph Baines later served as Texas Secretary of State from 1883 to 1887, before serving as a legislator in 1903–1904. Rebekah married Sam Early Johnson, Jr., and they became the parents of Lyndon B. Johnson. With this family history in mind, Lady Bird’s visit to McKinney carried special meaning.

Later that morning, Lady Bird visited downtown McKinney’s historic 1911 Post Office building, which had been vacant and in need of preservation. On its front steps, she cut the ribbon designating the building as a future county museum, operated by the Collin County Historical Society. The ceremony transformed the building into a space dedicated to preserving the county’s history. Her presence elevated the moment, affirming the importance of protecting historic places and encouraging the community to value its local heritage.

Following the ceremonies, a luncheon honoring Lady Bird Johnson was held in the gymnasium at the McKinney Job Corps Center. The luncheon was sponsored by the McKinney Federation of Women’s Clubs, a coalition that brought together women’s clubs to coordinate civic, educational, and cultural projects. Notable clubs within the Federation were the Owl Club and the Edelweiss Club.

Lady Bird’s visit brought together national conservation efforts, Texas heritage, the preservation of Collin County and McKinney’s history, and civic pride, all in one day.

This November marks fifty years since that visit. To celebrate, the Collin County History Museum is creating a wildflower garden featuring Blackland Prairie Texas native plants on the museum grounds, highlighting the connection between Collin County history, Lady Bird Johnson and native landscapes. Visitors will also be invited to an anniversary celebration in November to honor her historic visit and ribbon cutting.

So the next time you take a spring drive down a Texas highway, notice the wildflowers lining the road. These blooms are more than seasonal color. They are a living reminder of Lady Bird Johnson’s vision and of the enduring pride Texans take in preserving both their natural and civic treasures.