Abilene, Kansas

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

5:40 PM

Today we went into Abilene.  We visited the home where former President Eisenhower grew up and then the Presidential museum. Amazing history from his family, to WWII, to presidency.

On the property is a chapel and inside is the burial place of him and Mamie. If you go, plan on a minimum of a couple of hours for it all, but it is very much worth the time.

 

Now this is fried chicken!!

The visitor's center provided us with many brochures and things to do in Abilene. The Hitching Post Cafe was recommended for lunch. The special today was fried chicken with sides - and dessert! For $8.95. The picture does not do it justice. The fried chicken was……..GOOD!!! The waitress asked us where we were from. I said Texas and she said she knew it was either Texas or Georgia by my accent. I have an accent????

 

 After lunch we walked over to Old Abilene Town. The buildings are mostly original and they still stage gun fights on the weekends. Also, the saloon is open on weekends. It was fun to walk down the boardwalk and imagine how it must have been.

Old Church

In graveyard at church

Old Abilene Town

Dennis might deliver some mail!

 

 Our last stop of the day was the Seelye Mansion. The 3 story home is a treasure of history during the early part of the century.

 Mr. A.B. Seelye owned a patent medicine business in the late 1800's and the early 1900's. He also made vanilla and spices. He had salesmen who had wagons that traveled around and sold his products. When we walked in to get our tickets for the tours, the man greeting us, Terry, owns the mansion and lives there; but, also, owns the Hitching Post Cafe. He said he had fried our chicken himself a couple of hours earlier.

 

The Seelye family built the mansion

 and had some of the newest inventions of the time installed.

The first wall socket installed in a home in the country.

The basement has an early bowling lane that was purchased at the 1904 World's Fair. We were invited to play a game. The balls are about the size of a grapefruit with no holes. Instead of pins you hit a paddle worth different points each. What a treat - I won!!

The home also had a Steinway piano that is very old. I was invited to play and enjoyed the sound of the early piano. Here, as well, be prepared for more than an hour tour. The guide is very talkative but his tales of life of the family is interesting. My kind of history tour.

We are tired!!!!!