Abilene’s Victorian Inn
So it was on an overcast and gray day that I found myself once more answering the call of the road. I was headed to Abilene, KS, the home of former President, Dwight D Eisenhower, and Abilene’s Victorian Inn, owned and operated by Jay and Adrian Potter.
I felt like the Henry David Thoreau of the highway because of the solitude of my drive. I was the only motorist on the road for long stretches of time. Since there wasn’t much in terms of scenery, I had lots of time for thinking and rocking out to the shuffled up tunes on my MP3 player. About 1pm, I thought that I was ready for some lunch, but no restaurant appeared on the horizon. By 2pm, I knew I was hungry and decided to stop at the first place I could find.
Luckily, I had just entered the town of Clay Center, KS and found a Wendy’s. What I expected to be a quick lunch break ended up being an early start to the adventure. While I munched my burger and enjoyed a pastiche of Sherlock Holmes, an elderly gentleman laid his cap down on the chair across from me and politely asked how my day was going. I told him my day was going great and the gentleman headed to the counter and ordered a drink.
He then sat across from me and asked if I were a local. When I replied in the negative, he said I had that look about me. I chuckled softly and the gentleman started asking me where I was heading. I handed him my business card and told him about my project. We began to talk and I learned his name was Francis and that he was retired military. Francis was a fount of knowledge about the city of Abilene and its neighboring cities, telling me a great deal about the history of the area. After a half hour of chatting, we warmly shook hands and I continued on the road to Abilene.
I arrived at Abilene’s Victorian Inn at 4pm and was pleasantly greeted by Adrian. She brought me into the gift shop (yes, there was a gift shop) and checked me in. Adrian then gave me a tour of the inn. There is a whole lot of house to explore and all of it beautiful. Aside from the spacious suites, there is a good sized front parlor with a splendid chess set for anyone interested in a game. The living room is very cozy with a large gas fireplace and a piano. The dining room was well stocked with cookies, teas, cocoa, soda, and snacks for the guest. Most interesting was a piano in the front corner. Adrian explained that the piano had once been owned by Nat King Cole who had actually visited her parents back in the day and had played his signature song, “Mona Lisa”, on it. I felt honored to touch such a piece of musical history.
Adrian then led me to the Eisenhower Room, my home for the next couple of nights. I loved the rich blue color of the carpet, the large comfortable bed, and the semi-private balcony. In fact I’m sitting on it right now while I write, people watch, and soak up the scenery.
The gift shop at Abilene’s Victorian Inn
The Eisenhower Room
This piano was once owned by Nat King Cole
My semi-private balcony
Dinnertime soon arrived and I decided to give Mr. K’s Farmhouse a try. This restaurant is off the beaten trail and it actually is in a farmhouse. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the restaurant. The experience was a bit of a disappointment. Despite the restaurant not being very full, I was forgotten about moments after being seated. After noticing that I hadn’t been served for 10 minutes, a kindly lady at a nearby table came to my rescue when she walked into another room and found a server for me.
I opted for the house’s specialty, steak strips. The meal began with a very tasty soup which I believe was cream of potato. It had a nice zip, was creamy, and the bacon bits were a nice touch. The steak strips were a bit of letdown, being a touch on the bland side. I finished my meal and returned to the inn where I spent the rest of the night working on a mystery game before retiring.
The next morning I awoke and was more than ready for breakfast. I was especially looking forward to this meal because Adrian Potter has a great reputation for her culinary skills. She has even written a cookbook of the inn’s meals which is available for sale in the gift shop.
Let me assure you that Adrian’s reputation as a chef is well deserved and then some. Adrian started the meal off with an ambrosia parfait that consisted of cream, granola, bananas, blueberries, and the freshest, sweetest cherries I have ever tasted. After that came Adrian’s specialty: Coconut Praline Pecan French Toast served with a side of baked bacon with strawberries and sweet cream. The breakfast looked so wonderful, I almost didn’t want to eat it, lest I ruin the presentation. Needless to say that feeling lasted for all of a second before I began savoring the cuisine.
Braced by that terrific meal, I decided to explore the town. I meandered through the business district for a bit and then made my way to visit Seelye Mansion.
Seelye Mansion
Seelye Mansion was the home of Dr. Seelye and his family. Dr. Seelye created a pharmaceutical empire that lasted from 1898-1938. The empire came to an end when the FDA told Dr. Seelye that he could no longer make the medicine that brought him his wealth. The house was once known as the Mystery House because nobody was ever allowed inside. This all changed when Dr. Seelye’s two daughters, who remained in the mansion until the end of their days, befriended a young college student who became the caretaker of the estate. In the eighties, the sisters began offering tours of the house and it is well worth a visit.
The house is in pristine condition and many of the home’s original items are still present. I learned that Dr. Seelye’s wife and I share the same great love for Christmas. Mrs. Seelye always loved decorating the house for the holidays, usually setting up 80 Christmas trees!! That tradition is still maintained today as each room had a Christmas tree or 3.
Mrs. Seelye loved Christmas. Note the figurines above the fireplace. It was a magnet powered toy made by Thomas Edison that played 23 different Christmas carols.
Aside from the rich history and festive nature of the mansion, one of the more interesting exhibits was the bowling alley in the basement. The old fashioned bowling alley was not only the predecessor to modern bowling, but it also was the predecessor to skeeball.
All of the visitors got to try their hand at the alley. The rules for this version of bowling were that five paddles were set at the end of a long alley. You used an oversized skeeball and threw it down the alley. The best shot would be to take out two paddles. You had three shots and if you could knock out all 5 paddles, it was a strike. Otherwise your points were based off the number above the paddle you hit. I scored a 4.
The alley is also a very valuable antique. A collector had visited the mansion last year and offered one million dollars for the alley!! The foundation turned down the offer.
The Seelye private bowling alley
I spent a couple of hours inside the mansion and then started walking back down the street to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. As I walked down the street, I decided I should get something small for lunch and I passed a restaurant called Taco Grande. I stepped inside and the place was packed! I took that as a good omen for the food. I ordered a couple of tacos and found that feeling to be right on the money. These were some of the tastiest tacos I had ever eaten. If you’re just looking for a quick bite and you’re in Abilene, stop here.
Once I had finished my quick lunch, I continued on to the Presidential Library. The museum was interesting, but I was a bit surprised as it seemed more concerned about the history of World War II and the technological advances that took place during Eisenhower’s lifetime than the life of Eisenhower. If you’re a history buff, I would definitely recommend a visit. I just would have expected more focus on Eisenhower’s personal history as opposed to the history of World War II.
What I found more appealing was Eisenhower’s boyhood home which exists on the grounds. This house is tiny. Maybe 7 rooms, at most. The tour only took 5 minutes and I just tried to imagine how this house managed to contain the Eisenhower’s 4 energetic sons.
Dwight D Eisenhower
Eisenhower Museum
After finishing my tours, I returned to the inn where I organized my photos. From there, I attended services at St Andrew’s and then went to the M and R Grill for my supper.
By all means, have a meal here. If you like sports, there are plenty of TVs around the restaurant, each on a different game. I ordered a Kansas City Strip sautéed with onions, mushrooms, and green peppers. After enjoying an excellent salad, I supped on a truly excellent cut of meat. My steak was cooked to perfection and the corn on the cob served on the side hit the spot.
As I enjoyed the feeling of a full stomach, I returned to the Inn where I began working on this article and relaxed the night away.
This morning I got cleaned up and headed downstairs for another one of Adrian’s fantastic meals and some more stimulating conversation with the guests. Today’s breakfast began with a goblet of grapefruit dusted with powdered sugar and topped off with a cherry. That sugar really did wonders on the grapefruit as it reduced its acidity and brought out its sweetness. From there, the main course was a frittata that had an alphabet of ingredients such as egg, turkey sausage, tomatoes, and several different kinds of cheese to name a few. On the side were some small links of turkey sausage and a light, fluffy, buttery biscuit.
With another tasty breakfast under my belt, I went to my balcony to put the finishing touches on this article and get ready to return home.
In closing, let me say that Abilene is the best town I have visited since I started this project. The people here are so friendly, especially the hospitable Jay and Adrian Potter. There are a lot of historic homes to see. There’s a lot of history to experience. There’s just a lot to do. I loved it so much that I’d like to return in the summertime so I can experience the seasonal attractions and more of Adrian’s fine cooking. If you haven’t been to Abilene, go there. Get yourself a room at Abilene’s Victorian Inn and tell them Chris’ Corner sent you.
Chris' Corner 