Dr. James F. Barnwell

Barnwell practiced in a county that was slowly emptying. Blanco County's farms peaked at 753 in 1910 and fell to 708 by 1929 and 632 by 1940, and its people fell from 4,703 in 1900 to 3,842 in 1929. Ranching changed instead: from 1920 to 1930 sheep rose from 9,685 to 71,049 and goats from 13,780 to 81,500, chickens from 29,153 to 43,136 and turkeys from 3,517 to 14,937. During the Depression farm and ranch values dropped, but ranchers kept most of their cattle and by 1940 counted 90,000 sheep.

What the plaque says

Dr. James F. Barnwell James Franklin Barnwell was born on October 23, 1874 in Bowdon, Georgia. His family had a tradition of doctors, including his grandfather and three uncles. Following completion of his medical education at the University of Tennessee in 1896, Barnwell and his mother moved to Hamilton County, Texas. Later, he had additional graduate surgery courses at the University of Chicago and Tulane University in New Orleans. He passed the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners on July 27, 1898. Dr. Barnwell arrived in Johnson City in a horse-drawn buggy in 1898. His first office was in a building west of the Blanco County Jail, consisting of his office and a room to mix medications. Dr. Barnwell built Blanco County's first hospital on the east side of the courthouse square in 1913. His residence was on the first floor and the hospital was on the second floor. The hospital was equipped with the county's first x-ray machine and a Delco plant to furnish electricity for better lighting. Dr. Barnwell served Blanco County as a physician, surgeon and respected community leader. He was married to Agnes Wall with whom he had two children. Upon her death, he married Irene Lewis, with whom he had one child. Irene was a nurse who worked beside her husband. Dr. Barnwell was also a member of the Johnson City School Board, president of Johnson City State Bank, and county health physician. Dr. Barnwell died on June 16, 1934 and was buried in the Johnson City Masonic Cemetery. His obituary in the Johnson City Record Courier called him a "skilled and able surgeon" who had established "one of the best small town hospitals in the Hill Country." (2013)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park — steps away
  The Johnson City district of the national park: the Victorian house where Lyndon Johnson grew up, and the stone barns his grandfather built in the Johnson Settlement.
• Pedernales Falls State Park — 10 mi
  The Pedernales stepping down over layered limestone east of Johnson City, a river that can turn from a placid stream to a torrent in minutes.
• Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site — 13 mi
  A state park on the Pedernales opposite the LBJ Ranch, with a working Texas-German farm kept as it was around the First World War and the permit desk for the ranch tour.
• Luckenbach — 22 mi
  A store, saloon and dance hall on Grape Creek that a humorist bought in 1971, declared a free state of mind, and turned into a pilgrimage for Texas music.

More markers nearby

• Blanco County — steps away
• 1894 Blanco County Jail — steps away
• Dr. James Odiorne — steps away
• James Polk Johnson Building — steps away