Excerpted from:

Abilene:
A Treat for the Senses
Appearing in AAA Kansas Home & Away, November/December 2004 as “A Treat for the Senses: Abilene Rewards Visitors with a Complete Experience of its Attributes”

By Sally M. Snell

“Uh…ma…gah,” she said, wiping crumbs off her lips. “Where did you get that chocolate?!”

“Abilene, of course,” was my reply, handing her another Côte d’Or.

Abilene, Kansas is a town to be savored by all the senses. Here is a small taste:

Sight

Cattle drives up the Chisholm Trail and the subsequent introduction of railroad service in the late1800s grew Abilene from a community of less than ten to over 4,000 nearly overnight. Its heyday was between 1870 and 1880, and today half of Abilene’s homes were built during that era. Two homes—the Lebold and Seelye Mansions—are open to the public for tours. Tour maps reveal the secrets of more.

The 1880 Lebold Mansion is built on the old walls of the citys founders’ dugout home. Eliza Hersey gave the city its name, which means “city of the plains” from Luke 3:1. Since its construction, the old mansion has had almost one owner for each two years of its life. It was built in the Tuscan Villa Italianate style, in a symmetrical box plan rather than the more common “L” shape of similar American homes of that period. A design firm specializing in the Victorian-era now owns the mansion, using each parlor, hallway and bedroom as a showcase for the craftsmen and products they represent.

The 25-room Seelye Mansion cost $55,000 to construct at a time when the average worker made only $1 a day. A.B. Seelye made his fortune in the late 1800s manufacturing patent medicines, such as Wasa-Tusa (a home remedy made of 70-80% alcohol), Killa-Germ and Insect Die.

The family attended the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis where they designed and purchased most of the items for their home, including the Tiffany cut mosaic tile fireplace surround, and the lighting fixtures sold to them by Edison himself. The mansion contains eleven bedrooms, a ballroom and lever-operated bowling alley manufactured by the American Box Ball and Alley Company—perhaps the only example still in operation in the United States.

Sound

When Terry Tietjens purchased the property, A.B. Seelye’s daughters still lived in the home and clearly held the memory of their visit to the World’s Fair. Over the decades they kept the home as their parents had built it, even down to the cylinder player in the front parlor. Still operational, tour guests can listen to a band conducted by John Philip Sousa. The mahogany Steinway grand piano was picked for the home by Steinway in New York. Tour guests may try their hand at the piano during their visit, or Tietjens will demonstrate.

Tietjens is also spearheading a revival of Old Abilene Town. Phase I is due to be completed in the summer/fall of 2004 when the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad excursion train will begin operating out of the 1887 depot at Old Town. Stagecoach rides, and a gift shop/snack bar are also in the plans for this phase.

Smell

The aroma of sage and sweetgrass permeate the rooms at the American Indian Art Center, Kansas’ only art gallery and craft shop restricted to Native American artisans. The collection includes pottery, prints, jewelry, music, fiction and nonfiction books.

Russell Stover Candies Factory Outlet, west of Abilene along I-70, is the stock-up store for chocaholics. When the automatic entrance doors open, the aroma of chocolate is enough to knock a person off their feet. The store contains first quality chocolates, factory overstocks and factory seconds—imperfectly shaped but still tasty. You’ll find Russell Stover, Whitman’s and Pangburn’s chocolates, all at a reduced price. Visiting the store in the month before a chocolate-appropriate holiday is a great way to stock up affordably. By late March, the middle of the store was thick with discounted Easter treats. Other items on that visit included Truffle Golf Balls for 50% off, a 12.75 oz box of Pangburn’s chocolates normally retailing for $8.99, marked down to $4.49. And perhaps the best treat of all—empty chocolate tins for 50¢.

Taste

And speaking of chocolate, Treasures by Tracine is a must stop for Côte d’Or Belgian chocolates, bread dipping oils, and specialty coffees. The fragrance of the store is a pleasant mix of tropical breezes and a favorite leather chair, thanks to a nice stocking of unusual flavors of Archipelago Botanical Candles, such as “Havana,” infused with bergamot, Cuban tobacco leaf and ylang ylang. The cornerstone merchandise includes handcrafted jewelry and unique small gift items for men and women.

Appetite suitably whetted, the newly transplanted Brookville Hotel, and Kirby House Restaurant should be at the top of the list for dinner options. The Brookville Hotel, once located in Brookville, Kansas, is famous for their family style chicken dinners. Come hungry and wear loose clothing! The Kirby House Restaurant has a more refined menu suitable for romantic dinners and special occasions. Reservations are suggested for both locations.

Touch

At this point, a visit to the Fashion Museum is a moment of thanksgiving for elastic waistbands. It displays many pieces dating back to the 1870s from the collection of the Dickinson County Historical Society. Items are displayed chronologically, showing the transition from the corset to the cotton housedress and the bright polyesters of the 1970s. An 1870s wedding dress, beaded glove bags and a black wool sidesaddle skirt are just a few of the items on hand.

The Fashion Museum may be hands-off, but Quilted Comfort across the street will inspire you to bury your face in mounds of fabric. Quilted Comfort carries the Kansas Troubles line of patterns and fabrics, as well as others ranging from muted earth tones to brights. As one T-shirt reads “To quilt is human—to finish divine.”

And to end the visit with a moment of quiet contemplation, the water gardens and fragrant roses of God’s Garden will speak to all the senses. And it won’t hurt to nibble on a chocolate or two while there.

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The 1880 Lebold Mansion is built on the old walls of the citys founders’ dugout home.

Photography ©2004 Michael Snell, all rights reserved.