Seelye Mansion

Deciding on a whim to tour this house while overnighting in town, we arrived shortly after the last tour of the day had left. Not only did the owner allow us to join the tour late, but he stayed after a whole hour to be sure we got the complete tour and all of our questions answered!
This mansion and the personal, detailed tour given by its owner are absolute treasures! Never have I felt so transported into the past, where you could almost hear the clanking of the silver and china while piano melodies wafted through the air.
One of the things that makes this experience so unique is that its owner and tour guide actually invited the sisters who grew up in this mansion to stay on there in their old age. The anecdotes and explanations they passed on to him, he passed on to his audience with great relish!
Another unique component to this experience is that there are no ropes separating you from feeling a part of the rooms you are viewing and you are actually encouraged to touch at various points: testing the Victorian recliner to see how comfortable is actually is and literally bowling on the rare bowling alley in the basement etc.
The owner closed out the experience by tickling the ivories of the grand piano as elegantly as anyone at the turn of the century possibly could have!
This tour is truly a worthy destination and you will surely enjoy it!

What a wonderful experience. A must while in Kansas! Terry is very passionate about the home. Great history.

Incredible mansion of the past, personally hosted by the owner.
Decorated for Christmas, 80 trees & decorations
A trip back into time, super rich people at the time, had every amenity from Thomas Edison light bulbs to Tiffany fireplaces .
House is very interesting to see.

A fun, interesting and intimate look of life in the golden days of Kansas. This is not your normal «don’t cross the rope» tour of a historical home. The tour guide, Michael, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the family’s history and their home. This is a MUST DO while in Abilene.

Our group of five (aged 18 — 84) thoroughly enjoyed our tour. The guide was very knowledgeable and provided an excellent tour full of history and amusing anecdotes. The tour is not like some in which you peer into rooms from behind distant ropes. We went into all of the rooms, from the kitchen to the ballroom to the bowling alley in the basement. Terry, the friendly owner, did not give the tour but came out to greet us when we arrived and later chatted with my father-​in-​law about the small Kansas town where my father-​in-​law lives.
We went to the Eisenhower Museum also, but preferred the Selye tour. Well worth going to if you’re in Abilene.

This was one of our Big Three stops during a weekend in Abilene!
We knew enough to space out the Eisenhower museum and the mansion tour a day apart — thanks to the advice of a friend.
We have toured some of the most incredible homes in the United States including the Newport mansions, Hearst Castle, Mt. Vernon and Hyde Park. This is NOTHING like those tours — with full access to the rooms, the original/​refurbished furnishings in the same locations as when the last of the Seelye family lived there. Pianos and organs are played, along with a special bowling alley in the basement.
We toured the mansion on a Sunday and were thankful we arrived promptly at 1 pm. The tour started with around a dozen people being personally guided by Mr. Tietjens himself. He purchased the home from the family, even living with the 2 remaining Seelyes and learning about their lives first hand.
Mr. Tietjens is active in the Abilene community and also lives in the mansion.
Although the tour was a little less than 3 hours on our visit, Mr. Tietjens timed the seating locations well to give us a little break from standing. Each room had it’s own history and insight into the Seelye family and furnishings.