Meet the Newest Member of #TeamAbilene - Ab ilene Welcomes Austin Gilley
Sometimes in tourism, a visitor falls in love with a community so much that they decide to make it their new home.

The Abilene CVB is excited to welcome new City Manager, Austin Gilley, and his family to our five-star community. 



Abilene, KS - Travel Survey

The Abilene CVB is pleased to partner with  Kansas State University 's  A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications  and Dr. Alec Tefertiller's Ad Campaigns class. 

Please assist them in their research by participating in this survey . 

Thanks in advance for your help!


Tourism Tidbits...

  • It's said that Abilene's famous former resident, young Dwight D. Eisenhower, delivered ice to this stately home. Who knew, years later, that a boy from Abilene, Kansas would later live in our nation's "White House" in Washington, D.C
Photo courtesy of the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum.
Throwback Thursday

Mount St. Josephs Academy, Abilene, Kansas
It became Mount St Josephs Academy in 1887. In 1915 it was both an orphanage and a home for the aged. In 1924, the aged were moved to the Home of the Little Flower in Concordia and St. Joseph Home was solely an orphanage. At times there were as many as 85 children living there, ranging from babies through high school age. It was also a Catholic school that children from Abilene and nearby towns attended every day. 

With new Kans as child care regulations in 1951, the old orphanage concept changed dramatically. 

Foster home programs were developed and children were no longer put into orphanages. By 1958 there were just 10 children living at St. Joseph Home. The orphanage closed and a smaller Children's Home was opened in Salina. St. Andrew's Catholic School in Abilene opened to accommodate the students who had been displaced.
Only the red brick pillars, each with a white cross, mark the property line on the west side of the road. The stone grotto and the crumbling brick rectory are the only structures that remain on the orphanage site.

Harold Scanlan, one of the boys raised at the orphanage, took over the well-known dairy operation after the Home closed.
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Visit the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum's Facebook Page for more photos. 
Trip Advisor - Dickinson County Heritage Center

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Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad

Dinner Trains

One dinner train remains for the 2017 season. 
  • Saturday, October 28 - West's Country Mart - prime rib
All dinner trains depart at 6:00 p.m. and are pulled by the Diesel Locomotive.

Cost: $45/person. Advanced purchase required.

Click here to learn more.

Dickinson County Heritage Center

Drover's Cottage

From the Dickinson County Heritage Center:

Pictured are Roger Watt and Ronnie  Phillips standing next to their handy work, the model version of the Drover's Cottage. To make this incredible version of the famous hotel in Abilene, the guys needed one 4' x 8' sheet of 1/4" plywood, 3500 pin nails, 70 hours of labor. We genuinely appreciate all their work to bring the old cowtown back to life. We are calling this "Project: Texas Street" and hope to have a miniature version of Abilene 1870 with Saloons, the Novelty Theatre, McInerney's Boot store, and much more. You can see this model in the Chisholm Trail display at the Heritage Center.

3rd Annual Tombstone Talks



Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home

Lunch and Learn: The Road to Brown v. Board of Education

 "The Road to Brown v. Board of Education: The Race Impact" is the topic of the next Miller Nichols Charitable Foundation Lunch and Learn  program. A light lunch will be provided during the free program in the Visitors Center Auditorium at noon on Thursday, Oct. 19.

The program will be presented by Joan Wilson of the National Park Service. Ms. Wilson will explore the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision of May 17, 1954. This ruling led to Eisenhower's 1957 Civil Rights Act and sending federal troops to enforce the court-ordered integration, known today as the Crisis at Little Rock.

Ranger Wilson is a native of Jamaica and an employee with the National Park Service (NPS) for over 25 years. Wilson transferred to Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in September 2006 where she serves as an Interpretive Park Ranger and Volunteer Coordinator.


Chisholm Trail and the Cowtown that Raised a President
Exhibit in the Museum Temporary Gallery until May 2018

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail, which brought nearly two million cattle from Texas to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas, between 1867 and 1871. See rare artifacts and historic photographs. Learn about the square meal, the real McCoy, origins of the cowboy boot, and "the wickedest town in the West." Discover stories behind the legends of T.C. McInerney, Bear River Smith, and Wild Bill Hickok among others. Find out why Dwight Eisenhower developed a love for all things western in the Cowtown that raised a President!

Eisenhower and the Great War
Exhibit in the Upstairs Library Gallery until May 2018

War erupted in Europe in 1914 and soon involved nations around the globe. The Great War, as it became known, shocked the world with its massive scope and the industrial-like slaughter created by advances in military technology. The United States reluctantly joined the conflict in 1917 and began to build a large professional army from the ground up. One of the young officers who helped in this endeavor was a lieutenant by the name of Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower showed remarkable talent for organization and leadership during the years of American involvement in the war. Tasked with training thousands of inexperienced troops in the new and untested art of armored warfare, Eisenhower quickly built a strong and motivated group of soldiers while overcoming severe obstacles and setbacks. This exhibit tells the story of the Great War and its influence on Eisenhower's leadership abilities. World War I, as it would become known later in the century, proved critical to the making of this American Icon.

Great Plains Theatre 

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Calendar of Events

DATE
EVENT
LOCATION
DETAILS
10/22/2017 Operation Veterans Suicide Outreach Program Eisenhower Visitors Center 1:00 p.m.
10/28/2017 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Silver Flyer Railbus ASVRR  10:00 a.m.
10/28/2017 3rd Annual Tombstone Talks Abilene Cemetery 6:00 p.m.
   
Stay in Abilene
Abilene Lodging Establishments

Abilene  is home to more than 200 rooms. Whether you're in town to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum, enjoy a show at the Great Plains Theatre, attend the Central Kansas Free Fair, meet with greyhound industry leaders or take a ride on the  Abilene  & Smoky Valley Railroad, we invite you to extend your visit, spend the night and enjoy all  Abilene  has to offer.
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