The name Abilene often conjures up images of the wild, wild West, with cowboys, cattle herds and Main Street shoot-outs at the end of the Chisholm Trail. During the 1860s, more than three million cattle reached the end of the line in Abilene before being shipped east by rail. Some days, as many as 5,000 cowboys received their pay for moving the cattle from southern Texas, so undoubtedly, things got a little rowdy downtown.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Childhood Home
Abilene may best be known as the boyhood home of Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States and the leader of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II.The complex that bears the Eisenhower name does much more than provide stuffy insight to the life of one of free world’s most beloved heroes.
The Eisenhower Center consists of five buildings.
Of course, there’s the home in which Eisenhower and his five brothers were raised and the library that houses many of his presidential papers and research materials.
The visitors center is located on the grounds of the elementary school Ike attended, and the place of meditation is where Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, along with one of their children, are buried.
But the museum brings to life one of the most complex periods of world history as the young military officer battles through the many conflicts that led to World War II. The exhibit on the D-Day invasion of France is told through the voices of young soldiers who fought in the sandy trenches that day, not the voice of their commanding officer. It is here the largest crowds gather in the museum, often silenced by the power of the visual and aural images. It is here, too, where a number of veterans of that war often gather. Tours are all the more enriching if one of those veterans begins to recount his experiences as he wanders through the maze of newspaper headlines, military uniforms and other authentic artifacts of World War II.
Things To Do In Abilene Kansas
Abilene has two historic show homes open for tour. The first is the Seelye Mansion, recognizable by its sprawling front porch and well-designed gardens.
Dr. A.B. Seelye was a contemporary of folks like Eli Lilly and Friedrich Bayer, and had he and his wife given birth to sons, the company might have grown to the heights of these pharmaceutical giants. But the Seelye’s had two daughters who were raised in the belief that women did not run businesses. Nonetheless, much of the original equipment and medicines from the Seelye Medical Company remains on display, along with evidence of the great wealth in the home at this time. A bowling alley and ballroom are among the amenities of this home.
Across town, a tour of the Lebold Mansion is equally as interesting with its hand-painted ceilings, elaborate draperies and French-style music room. The 23-room mansion was built in 1880 on the exact location of Abilene’s first homestead, which is seen on a tour the servants’ quarters in the basement.
Where to Eat in Abilene Kansas
The Kirby House on East Third Street was built in 1885 by a prominent banker and is now a great place for a light lunch or a romantic dinner in the third floor cupola. Every order comes with a serving of coconut walnut bread, a signature item at the Kirby House.
The only item on the menu at the Brookville Hotel is fried chicken – something they’ve been doing since the 1870s. There once was a little town of Brookville, where the Martin family fried chicken, mashed potatoes and made gravy beginning in the 1870s. But the fourth generation of this family packed up the family recipes and many of the hotel’s original furnishing and relocated north of I-70 in Abilene.
Or visit K’s Farmhouse, a little south and west of downtown. This was a favorite spot of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower because of the homemade pies, roast beef and huge pork chops.
The founding fathers of Abilene may have had high hopes when they chose the name Abilene. It references a Biblical scripture meaning “city of the plains.” The city never quite grew out of the cowtown, but that may be all the better in the end. .
While in Kansas, consider a visit to the Fort Scott National Historic Site.
Diana Lambdin Meyer - As at home on her family's grain farm in southern Illinois as she is riding a camel on the Sinai Peninsula, Diana Lambdin Meyer most ...
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