A history of Abilene,
since 1857
Postcards, papers and photographs of Abilene from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, and in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.
In 1857, Dickinson County was founded and Abilene began as a stage coach stop, established by Timothy Hersey and named Mud Creek. It was not until 1860 that it was named Abilene, from a passage in the Bible (Luke 3:1), meaning "grassy plains".
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Abilene’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewPrairie dog town, Abilene, Kansas…, 1867: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Abilene
See all 15 →
Abilene, decade by decade
1990s
29 historic places in Abilene
Abilene has 29 listings on the National Register, and they protect 139 historic buildings, because Abilene Downtown Historic District alone counts 75. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier, which fewer than 3% of listings reach.
Where they are
When they were listed
LandmarkListed 1987Parker Carousel
Listed 1971Eisenhower Home
Listed 1973C. H. Lebold House
Listed 1986A. B. Seelye House
Listed 1991John Johntz House
Listed 1992Abilene Union Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot
Listed 1993Abilene Union Pacific Railroad Freight Depot
Listed 1995Emerson Coulson House
Listed 1995D. G. Smith Building
Listed 1998Perring Building
Listed 2000Litts-Dieter House
Listed 2000Mead-Rogers House
Listed 2001Hotel Sunflower
Listed 2001St. John's Episcopal Church
Listed 2001United Building
Listed 2006Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
Listed 2007Berger House
Listed 2008Elms Hotel
Listed 2009Abilene Downtown Historic District
Listed 2009Garfield Elementary School
Listed 2010Rock Island Depot
Listed 2012David R. Gorden House
Listed 2014John W. Birchmore House
Listed 2017Jacob S. Engle HouseListed 2002Abilene City Park Historic DistrictListed 2006Abilene Historic District #1Listed 2007Naroma Court Historic DistrictListed 2018Vine Street Historic DistrictListed 2021Union Electric WarehouseThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Prairie dog town, Abilene, Kansas, 447 miles west of St. Louis, Mo (1867) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (7). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.