The picture above is the old switchboard that was in Abilene. The museum of Thelephony is dedicated to telephones and equipment through the years. It is one of the best done displays of telephones and their use we've ever seen.
This is typical of the displays. Very authentic and people friendly. Don't you just want to sit down and make a call?
At the same place is the old wooden carved carosel. This carosel traveled around the country and was set up at fairs and carnivals. It is still working and you can take a ride on it for $2.00. It is displayed inside a building to preserve it and keep it authentic. 
We took a tour of the Lebold Mansion, which was built by the banker of Abilene. He built the mansion so that when you went up to the tower you could see the trains arrive in Abilene. The mansion was built before the turn of the century and was decorated with frescos on the cielings and beautiful lighting. The lights were all gas--no electricity when the house was built.
This is the cieling in the guest parlor. I was amazed at the restoration and all the details. A couple of men from San Francisco that specialize in restoring Victorian homes now own and work on the mansion. The restoration was started by a 64 year old widow who took it on as her retirement project. The two men bought it from her estate when she died at 89. She was still working on the home at the time. It had been a rooming house for the telephone operators who worked at the switchboards we saw at the Telephony Museum. Walls had been added and even stoves and refrigerators in those beautiful old rooms. After the telephone operators left, it was used as apartments, and then used to house an orphanage. Some of the town people wanted it torn down as it had become an eyesore. But now, it is a beautiful victorian mansion which you can tour.
This is the Kirby House. It is another of Abilene's mansions. Only it has been turned into a restaurant. Look closely at the very top of the tower. It is a the very small room that you can see at the top of the house with only one window showing.
The inside front doors as you enter into the Kirby Mansion. Everything is just beautiful and elegant.
These are the steps to get to the tower room. The last set of steps. It is four flight up. No elevator. The steps are narrow, but they have been decorated so nice I just had to take a picture of them.
Guess who's coming to dinner? Just two of us. What a very cool place to celebrate a special occasion. This room has to be reserved in advance, but it seemed ready for us! (We actually ate dinner downstairs in one of the dining rooms)
On to the Seely Mansion. What an interesting story. Our tour guide was the present owner and only the second owner of the home. He purchased it from two spinster sisters and lived with them for five years before they passed away. All the furnishings and dishes and carpets are original. This fireplace is all mosiac. All the woodwork was painted white by their father when he built the home. The girls were small children and white was easier to keep clean and germ free. Their father was a Dr. He patented medicine and it was sold all over the country. He had the house built in 1905 and had all the latest inventions installed. The family attended the worlds fair in 1905 and purchased all the furniture, equipment, dishes, etc. at this fair. They spent as much on that as it cost to build the home. 
This is the stairwell up to the bedrooms. There are 11 bedrooms and 25 rooms in the house. The family entertained almost nightly. On the third floor there is a ballroom where the family had an orchestra on retainer so they could have music and dances at any time.
The dining room table had 12 leaves, so when the family had lots of guests the table could be extended out into the foyer. All the china is spode and there are 12 complete sets, plus extra pieces to space out so dishes didn't have to be passed around. There were always servants around to take care of the serving and cleaning. The girls were well educated and believed themselves above the population of Abilene at the time. They did know Dwight and his brothers, because they went to schools with them. The Eisenhower boys delivered ice to their home when they were teenagers, but they were from the wrong side of the tracks and were never invited to any of the dances in the ballroom.
In the basement is one of the first all wood, five pin bowling alleys ever installed in a private home. This was the game room and also housed pin ball machines. The walls and ceilings are insulated with wood shavings to keep the noise from bothering the ladies and gentlemen upstairs being entertained. The present owner, Terry, went to the original manufactuer of the bowling alley and obtained the original paper work. He has it hanging on the wall. Because this mansion was never owned by any other people, it is an amazing historical landmark. We really enjoyed learning all about this home.
The grounds of the Seely mansion had been neglected by the ladies as they aged, but the present owner is restoring them back to original elegance. They can be rented and used for weddings and other special occasions. Very beautiful.
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