Arch Davis Art Exhibit
Open until October 31st
A special exhibit featuring the work of renowned Abilene artist Arch W. Davis (1887-1973). Mr. Davis is widely known for his detailed oil paintings of early Kansas farm life, including threshing scenes and cattle drives, and steam engine pulled trains. He also painted large, decorative interior wall murals and designs in many historic Abilene homes while operating an interior decorating and house painting busines for many years. The exhibit features paintings from the Historical Society's archives as well as some on loan by area residents.
125th Anniversary of the 1901 Parker Carousel Celebration & Tractor Show
October 3rd from 9 am to 4 pm
Come celebrate this milestone with us! The carousel will be powered by the original steam engine. A tractor show will accompany the event, along with old-time games.
New Farm Toy Museum
Come and see our new Farm Toy Museum where the tale of our agricultural history in minature is on display. Guests will be able to see the progression through the years. There is a place for kids to have a hands-0n area to play with equipment on a minature farm.
John Gruber was a longtime employee at Shouse Implement. He has spent the last 50 years collecting toy tractors and accessories. He has donated 1,100 toy tractors to the Historial Society for display. Many manufacturers and scales are represented, even pedal tractors! Other community members have loaned various farm toys and implements for display.
Museums that bring history to life
Learn about Dickinson County's famous former residents, from C.L. Brown, whose telephone company eventually became known as Sprint - to Abilene's former Marshall Bill Hickok to Joseph McCoy, who brought hundreds of thousands of cattle to Abilene in the 1860s, making the community a booming cowtown at the end of the Chisholm Trail.
Our society is dedicated to preserving the rich hisotry of Dickinson County and sharing it with the community. Explore our exhibits, attend our events, and learn about the people and events that shaped our local area. Join us in our mission to educate and inspire future generations.
History to life
Feel the wind through your hair while “rocking” on
a hand-carved wooden horse as a 1901 C.W. Parker carousel spins to the music of a 1904 Wurlitzer Band Organ.
Step inside the one-room log cabin and immerse yourself in the daily life of a pioneer family who settled on the prairie, where homes were lit by a kerosene lamp and heat came from a wood-burning stove.
Try your hand at using a party-line switchboard
that once connected telephone calls throughout the country.
The Heritage Center consists of the Dickinson County Historical Society Museum (including outdoor exhibits and additional buildings), C.W. Parker Carousel National Historic Landmark, and the Museum of Independent Telephony. See our newly added Farm Toy Museum with over 1,100 toy tractors and accessories.
Explore outside
Watch chickens scratch in the ground near their coop, and walk into the big red barn to find early-day artifacts.
Ring the school bell, then sit at a desk in the one-room schoolhouse and test your knowledge with the arithmetic problem on the blackboard.
See the forge and tools used by a blacksmith when horses were used for transportation.
