Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum

Opened in 1971 while Johnson was still alive, the LBJ Library was among the first presidential libraries to emphasize the turbulent politics of its subject’s era rather than simply celebrating the president’s legacy. Its eight-story tower on the University of Texas campus houses an archive used by researchers worldwide, while the public museum floors offer exhibits on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the escalation of the Vietnam War, and the social upheaval that defined Johnson’s single elected term.

A full-scale, seven-eighths replica of the Oval Office as it appeared during Johnson’s presidency anchors the museum’s upper floor. The library’s holdings include recordings of Johnson’s often candid and unfiltered telephone conversations — a collection that has reshaped historians’ understanding of presidential decision-making in the 1960s. Johnson himself attended the dedication ceremony in May 1971 and is said to have wept during the remarks about his legacy.