Visiting Abilene's Historic Seelye Mansion with Lisa Waterman Gray

It was an accidental meeting. While nursing my daily café latté at

 Lenexa's finest coffee house, I heard bits of pieces of a nearby conversation and surmised they were discussing Kansas and photography. Upon introducing myself, I learned that one of the folks was Lisa Waterman Gray, a name which I recognized, but could not remember why.  I later learned that Lisa is a much-published free lance writer whose credits include articles for Midwest Living; AAA's Midwest, Southern, and New Mexico Travel magazines; Kansas City Star; Christian Science Monitor; Delta Sky; KANSAS! Magazine, and numerous other magazines and journals. 

Lisa has recently published a guidebook for travelers, Explorer's Guide Kansas, as well as authoring a blog: Crossing Kansas.

I was recently honored by a request to do a "guest spot" on Crossing Kansas, and now have the privilege of returning that favor to Ms. Waterman Gray. I am pleased that she chose to share her views and photos of the historic Seelye Mansion in Abilene. I have driven by on several occasions, but never toured this majestic old home, one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture.

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I pulled into the driveway of the graceful Historic Seelye Mansion, in Abilene, on a cool fall morning. Set against a cobalt sky and a wide expanse of emerald lawn and manicured gardens, the 1905 Georgian-style mansion combined a natural stone foundation with massive columns and expansive porches.

Tiffany Fireplace - Seelye Mansion

I entered through the back door, just across from the building that served as Dr. A.B. Seelye's workshop, and home to more than 100 medical and other products that were distributed across 14 states. But my tour began in the beautifully appointed and spacious living room where stunning Tiffany-designed mosaic decorated the fireplace face and Edison lights illuminated the space.

Curved wall with window, Seelye Mansion

Much of the décor in this lovely 11,000-square-foot home came from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Delicate lace curtains flanked a high leaded glass window that followed the subtly curved wall and low radiator. A stunning gold side table stood atop a richly hued Oriental rug.

Elegant table service, Seelye Mansion

Crystal and gold bowls, and sterling candlesticks decorated a long table in the elegant dining room while a pair of antique dolls stood on the single side table in this bright and airy bedroom shared by Dr. Seelye's daughters.

Daughters' bedroom, Seelye Mansion

The upstairs ballroom astounded me with its beautifully maintained, highly polished floor and arched ceiling. Modest bedrooms encircled the space, which Mrs. Seelye frequently offered as a weekend sanctuary for soldiers who were stationed at the nearby Fort Riley.

Upstairs ballroom, Seelye Mansion

Twenty-five rooms, original furnishings and a very devoted owner/caretaker - Terry Tietjens - introduce visitors to one of the finest homes built between Kansas City and Denver, during the early 1900s.

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LINKS - LISA WATERMAN GRAY

Crossing Kansas Blog: http://crossingkansas.blogspot.com/

Lisa Waterman Gray - The Storyteller: www.thestorytellerkc.net/
Email: thestoryteller@everestkc.net

LINKS - SEELYE MANSION

Seelye Mansion Site: www.seelyemansion.org/

Abilene Tourism Site: www.abilenecityhall.com/ 

The Red Hills

The Red Hills of Barber and Comanche counties* fascinate me. The terrain is unlike much of Kansas, particularly the flat wheat belt where I was born and raised. It has long been my intention to return to that area  to try my hand at photographing those landscapes. The first week of May of this year, I was able to accomplish that. I had hoped that the hills and grasslands would have greened up by this time and that the wildflowers might be in bloom. Apparently I was about a week to ten days to early for that, although some wildflowers were beginning to pop up.

The Red Hills get their color from the oxidation of the sedimentary iron deposits left during the Permian Period, 250 to 300 million years ago. The hills are also known as the Gypsum (or Gyp) Hills due to the large natural deposits of gypsum, which are mined in the vicinity.

US Highway 160 from Medicine Lodge to Coldwater (42 miles) cuts through the area and is known as the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway. There is another scenic drive on county roads which begins just west of Medicine Lodge. These scenic drives are collectively one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography Better views, however, are obtained by getting off the highway.


You must "dare to do dirt" to really see this country.

The Landscape

Branding Time at the Marsh Ranch

While driving along the Gyp Hills Scenic Byway, I noticed a lot of activity going on at one of the corrals, and pulled off onto the right of way. I tried to take some long-distance photos with my long zoom lens without much to show for it. A distinguished-looking man in western working attire came over to me and introduced himself as Mr. Marsh, the owner of the Marsh Ranch headquartered in nearby Sun City, and asked me if I would like to come in for a closer look. Absolutely! He was preparing to leave and offered me the use of his mount, but as I have not been on horseback in a "few years," and have had several shoulder, knee, and other surgeries in the intervening period, I decided this would nor be a good time to make a fool of myself in front of these professional horsemen and women.

The cowboys and women were branding calves, attaching fly tags to the ears, and administering spring vaccinations, a process requiring skill, teamwork, and horsemanship. I had seen these and similar skills on display at the State Ranch Rodeo Championships at Medicine Lodge, but this was my first opportunity to watch it "up close and personal," and "for real." A big thanks to the Marshes and their crew for allowing me to photograph them at work.  

Sun City
Population 53. That's down from 81 in 2000. What is Sun City known for? Perhaps the whiskey-fueled gunfight in 1880 that left one Mr. Adams mortally wounded as a result of  a billiards wager. Maybe the 1883 cyclone that killed three townspeople. Folks in the know, however, would tell you unequivocally that Buster's Smokehouse Bar and Grill is what keeps Sun City on the map. Buster and his wife Alma have been dead quite some time now, but this iconic Sun City landmark just keeps going.

You can even find Buster's on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001319851865

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* Red Hills ~ Much of the area known as the Red Hills is located in Clark County as well, including the three highest points in the area: Mount Nebo, Mount Jesus, and Mount Lookout. I hope to visit Clark County on another photo journey. 

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Some Links of Interest:

Medicine Lodge, Kansas - At the eastern end of the Gyp Hills Scenic Byway, a colorful and historic frontier town. Long-time camping ground for plains Indians, site of a landmark peace treaty between natives and the US government, and later home to that hatchet-yielding prohibitionist Carrie Nation. http://www.cyberlodg.com/mlcity/

Medicine Lodge Indian Peace Treaty Pageant - http://www.peacetreaty.org/ My first visit to Medicine Lodge and this pageant at age twelve made a huge impression on me. Not much was different when Nancy and I took in the festivities a couple of years ago. The event is held every three years, and this (2011) is the year. Parades, a large-scale pageant on a 40 acre "stage," a Plains Indians pow wow, and a rodeo are just part of what happens.

Coldwater, Kansas - At the western end of the Gyp Hills Scenic Byway. Served as my home base while exploring the area. http://www.coldwaterkansas.com/

Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway - http://www.ksbyways.org/Pages/Gypsum/gypsum1.html

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© text and photos Frank Thompson

8 Wonders of Kansas ~ The Guidebook, and an Exhibit

Left: spiral ring, lay-flat edition; Right: limited edition hard bound

With the spiraling price of gasoline, this spring and summer will find more of us looking for places to go and see that are closer to home. That, plus the on-going Kansas Sesquicentennial celebration, made for perfect timing the recent release of the 8 wonders of Kansas! Guidebook.

I give this book two hearty thumbs up, and not only will use it 

extensively in my future travels, but have picked it up 

from time to time just to enjoy the photos and stories.

Over the last couple of years, thousands of Kansans and fans of the Sunflower State have participated in elections sponsored by the Kansas Sampler Foundation* to select first the Original 8 Wonders of Kansas, then the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture, Art, Commerce, Cuisine, Customs, Geography, History, and People. All finalists from each category are represented in the guidebook, with special emphasis on the winning entries.

The organization and layout of the 8 wonders of Kansas! Guidebook are first rate, resulting in a very readable, easy-to-use book. The text is written by "Kansas' Number One Cheerleader," Marci Penner, who has the gift of writing engaging, succinct commentary. And who better to provide the photo illustrations than Harland Schuster, a farmer/stockman from Morrill, Kansas, an accomplished photographer who knows Kansas? This book contains over 800 (yes, 800) photos of the 216 entries, many of which provide a unique perspective on the subject at hand.  

8 wonders of Kansas! Guidebook is available online from the Kansas Sampler Foundation, and at a number of locally-owned Kansas book stores. My numerous KC metro area readers should be able to find it at Rainy Day Books within a few days of the posting of this blog. It's already available at the Raven Book Shop in Lawrence and several locations in Topeka.

* The Kansas Sampler Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, sustain, and grow rural culture by educating Kansans about Kansas and by networking and supporting rural communities. It is not to be confused with the Kansas Sampler chain of t-shirt shops. 

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If you are passing through Abilene this spring or summer, I encourage you to visit the Eisenhower Center, even if you have done so in the past. Between now and September 5, the Eisenhower Library is hosting an exhibit featuring the 8 Wonders of Kansas. I was surprised and impressed at the collection of Kansas artifacts made available to the Kansas Sampler Foundation and the library for this exhibit.  The photos below give a brief introduction to the exhibit:

Helmet and shoes belonging to Amelia Earhart, photo of Carrie Nation behind bars

Artifacts from the Dragoons at Fort Scott

Exhibits honor famous black Kansans George Washington Carver (above) and Gordon Parks

Gemini space suit and helmet from The Cosmosphere, Hutchinson

Antique horse from C.W. Parker Carousel, Big Jay

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Nancy and I timed our exhibit visit to coincide with the kickoff ceremony for the 8 wonders of Kansas! Guidebook, as did quite a few other folks. Many were people associated with the sites featured in the book, some were book store owners eager to pick up their first stock orders, and there were ardent Kansas Explorers like us.

Harland and Marci happily signed numerous guidebooks.


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For lunch, we went to one of Abilene's signature eating establishments, the Kirby House. The Kirby House is an elegant, 1885 Victorian mansion built by one of the city's first bankers. Lunch and dinner are served daily in the eight main rooms of the house. Located downtown at 205 NE Third Street. (no web site)

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Mark your calendars, reserve the dates ~ The 2011 Kansas Sampler Festival is almost upon us. It takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 7 & 8, at Ray Miller Park, Leavenworth. The YouTube video above is from last year's event, also held in Leavenworth. My favorite part is the food concessions, but I'm certain most of my friends will be far more interested in learning about places to see and things to do in Kansas, and the educational stuff. Right. Leave a bieroch and a piece of pie for me, please. (Sour cream raisin, rhubarb or gooseberry preferred, definitely not coconut cream.)


If you live in northeast Kansas and think you will put it off until next year, you should know that the 2012 and 2013 festivals will be held in Liberal. I've made the drive many a time and can tell you it's a long ways from here.

All content except Kansas Sampler Festival's YouTube video

© 2011 Frank Thompson