Growing up neither of us had much opportunity to travel by train. The heyday of this mode of transportation had passed and most families navigated the countryside by automobile. Recently, we had the chance to take a lunch train ride that piqued our interest in experiencing more of this form of travel. When we laid out the plans for our visit to Abilene, Kansas, a stop at the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad was high on our list. We arrived at the Rock Island Depot, which was built in 1887, with time for a tour of the facility before our journey.
Share lessons on Abilene history with your family by walking, biking, or driving by these five sites that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, an official list of the country's historic places worthy of preservation. Learn about architecture as well by looking for unique features like colored tiles, finials (distinctive ornaments along the roofline), sculptures, and masonry medallions and arches over windows and doorways.
1. D.G. Smith Building, 217 West First Street
A late Victorian Italianate building constructed in 1885, this structure housed a pharmacy that met the needs of the citizens as Abilene grew into a more civilized city following the cattle town era.
2. Kubach House, 101 South Buckeye Avenue
Abilene businessman Gustave Kubach built this Craftsman-style bungalow in 1922 featuring a unique second-story camelback (an upper half-story stacked atop the main structure but set back from the front façade).
3. Eisenhower Home, 201 Southeast Fourth Street
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s father purchased this six-room home in 1898 and Eisenhower grew up here with his parents and five brothers until he left for West Point in 1911. Two rooms were added when his grandfather moved in with the family. Make a mental note to return to tour the home, newly-renovated museum and library at a later time.
4. Rock Island Depot, 200 Southeast Fifth Street
Built in 1887, this Victorian-era depot built to accommodate both passengers and freight was associated with Abilene's second boom period after the cattle trade was forced out of town and the local economy shifted to agriculture.
