While in Kansas we had to stop in Abilene, home to the Dwight D. Eisenhower presidential library. But it's more than that!
Abilene was founded in 1857 as a stagecoach stop while Kansas was still a territory. It was originally called "Mud Creek". Who'd want to go there? It was renamed in 1860. Then in 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway made it to Abilene and things started to heat up. A guy named Joseph McCoy opened the Hotel Drover along with a stockyard and encouraged cattlemen to drive their herds here to be picked up by the railroad and shipped out. The Kansas Pacific Railway even added a spur so the cattle could be loaded onto the cars.
And they did! In 1871, Abilene was the end of the Chisholm Trail. This is the old Union Pacific Railroad Depot. Built in 1929, it replaced the original built in 1867. This is where the cattle would be loaded and shipped elsewhere to be converted to hamburgers.
In 1887, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built their line through Abilene. This is the Santa Fe depot built in 1911. Passenger service on the AT&SF lines stopped in 1971. This depot is no longer used for train service.
This is the Rock Island depot which was built in 1887. It's the oldest railroad building in Abilene. The Rock Island line offered both passenger and freight service. While the Union Pacific line hauled cattle, the Rock Island line was mostly hauling grain. Service was active until the 1950s. Originally located about 2 1/2 blocks east, it was moved to this location to make way for the Eisenhower library.
Abilene Old Town is an area that has old replica buildings from the 1800s. This Merchants Hotel building represents the Drover Hotel that was built by Joseph McCoy. There were several other buildings, such as a jail, a bank and a general store. None of the buildings were open but you could walk around the park.
Abilene is also the county seat of Dickinson County. This was the original courthouse built in 1885. It was expanded in 1904 but the town still outgrew it.
In 1950, the brick courthouse was torn down and replaced with this. I like the charm of the earlier one.
This is the Seelye Mansion. It was built in 1905 by Dr. Andrew B. Seelye who was an early adopter of modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and electric lighting. The house had 25 rooms and is a museum. Andrew Seelye developed a product called "Wasa Tusa" that, apparently, cured everything. He opened a factory that mass produced this elixir and employed locals and was the largest employer in Abilene at the time.
This is the Lebold Mansion built in 1880. Conrad Lebold was also an early adopter of electricity and indoor plumbing. There was a cistern on the property for water pressure. Conrad was a banker and politician. Due to economic downturn, he lost the house in 1889. This is one of the oldest buildings in Abilene. While it
looks like the Addams Family mansion, it's not. The house is a museum.
As a western town, law and order were needed. Wild Bill Hickok was once the Marshal of this town in 1871. He was standing by a street fight when a guy took two shots at him. Hickok returned fire, killing the guy who shot at him but he also accidentally shot his deputy. He was fired shortly there after. Oops.
Everybody likes roadside attractions like the world's largest ball of twine. Abilene has the World's Largest Belt Buckle.
For a long time, they also had the World's Largest Spur but I believe Lampasas, Texas now has that distinction.
The real attraction in Abilene is the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. This is his boyhood house. His family bought it from their uncle. They lived here until Mrs. Eisenhower (Ike's mom) passed away in 1946. After her death, the home was donated to the Eisenhower foundation and opened in 1947 as a museum.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was a graduate of West Point and was the Supreme Allied Commander of World War II. He lived in Abilene in that house until he left for school. I think they were building a museum to honor him after the war which would explain why the cornerstone of the museum was laid prior to his presidency.
This is the actual museum. Across the plaza is the library where his papers are stored. The library itself doesn't have anything to see except the film about the house. The house was closed for tours on Sunday. The museum, however, was pretty cool.
Ike and Mamie Eisenhower wedding clothes. In the lower right is an actual piece of their wedding cake. It reminds me of an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine eats the wedding cake from her bosses fridge and it's fifty years old or something.
I remember reading that Ike was very popular after World War II and both parties were trying to recruit him to run for president. He went with the Republican party, much to Truman's dismay. He won pretty easily with his campaign slogan "I like Ike".
Also at the museum was an exhibit of paintings by Mary Whyte. She paints veterans and then tells you where and when they served. This one is called Vigil. The subject, Jodi, was a Marine Patrol Officer in the Coast Guard. The paintings are fantastic.
The pillars at the Eisenhower library.
The Chapel. It's called a place of meditation and it's very peaceful inside. The fountain wasn't running, maybe because it was so windy. Seriously. It was super gusty, so much so that we aborted a walk.
Inside is where both Ike and Mamie Eisenhower are buried along with their young son, Doud who died when he was three.
We were in Abilene on a Sunday and there were no restaurants open. We finally found a fast food place called Original Grande that had tacos and burritos. What is it with these small towns? We ended up going to the grocery store for a premade salad for dinner.
There are only about 6500 people that live here. There are a few industrial plants in the area that employ the locals like Russell Stovers Candies. I might like that. Another big employer is the county.
There were no chain restaurants in Abilene other than fast food. For grocery stores, there was a West's Country Plaza (which is where we went), an Aldi and a Dollar General.
I was surprised that Abilene was so small. I'm glad we went and I enjoyed the Eisenhower museum. We could have seen some other places if we were there on any day other than Sunday.
If you're in the area, check it out!
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