Seelye Mansion — Attraction in Abilene

We showed up right around lunch time for the tour and were greeted by the owner himself in the gift shop. To be honest, he seemed a bit peeved that we walked in at the time we did. Both of his helpers were out at lunch, so he ended up giving us the tour himself after we stated we didn't mind going to the Eisenhower Museum and would come back at a later date if our arrival was an inconvenience for him. There were no signs stating they were closed for lunch, so we were a bit caught off gaurd at first, but his slightly annoyed with us attitude seemed to go right out the window once the tour officially started on the front porch of the mansion.

As a warning to parents with young ones, I will say this tour is 3 hours long and includes a lot of standing and stairs. It's not stroller friendly (or wheelchair accessible now that I think about it), so your tiny ones will need to be carried the entire time if they can't walk. It was also pretty warm during our visit this summer, but I did have a sleeping toddler on me half the time, so perhaps I felt warmer than everyone else for that reason. The tour length, standing, and stairs weren't a big deal to us, but had I known about the tour's length I would have thought twice about driving the 2 hours there with our 4 young children. Thankfully, the stars aligned perfectly that day and all 4 kids (ages 9, 8, 5, and 1½) made it through without any complaints or issues, though it was only our 1½ yr old I was worried about as the time kept ticking by.

We were told they put on a big production around Christmas and were invited back for that later this year. All in all, it was a very neat tour and our entire family really enjoyed our time there. The kids really enjoyed using the bowling alley at the end of...

The owner (Terry) was tragically unable due to medical reasons to follow through with the tour. However the tour guide was a 70 year local who was still very knowledgeable of the property. Did get to meet and speak with Terry inside the gift shop. Very kind gentleman who was more than happy to share additional information or questions related to the property. He stayed at the property with the original seyle sisters before they passed away so everything he knows is from the girls who lived there the rest of their lives until the age of 80+ years old. The ballroom and basement was probably our favorite part. The light fixtures are all beautiful.. as they should be because each light fixture was designed by Thomas Edison! Loads of history in this beautiful home! Great place to take the kids and grandkids to learn about what life was like "back in the day".

The tour guide was very accommodating. The tour started before we arrived. She continued throughout the home with us meeting the tour where they were at and finished the part we missed again with another group before directing us out the back to the gift store and grounds. No need to make reservations unless it's a larger group or school. Perfect family weekend outing idea as the famous Brookville hotel is not far and is open on weekends only as well so you csn go obsorb the history and then those calories!

Can't...

Neither words, nor pictures can do this place a shred of justice!

First of all, the physical property and belongings are spectacularly preserved, and absolutely amazing examples of early 1900s American craftsmanship/antiques.

Second, the fact that NO PART OF THIS HOME IS ROPED OFF and you are allowed to touch, hear, and play with these pristine antiques is truly unique.

Finally, the tour guide, Terry. He is a decorated, local treasure, a gifted storyteller, and an integral part of the top-notch experience. Anyone interested in American history, architecture, or American craftsmanship would greatly appreciate this tour. Not to mention the incredibly moderate cost of the tour, they could easily command triple the admission fee.

It is true that the 2(+)‐hour tour may be long for some, stairs may be challenging for some, and the 1905 house lacks ventilation at times, but I have never enjoyed a tour as much IN SPITE of these...