Where is the oldest operating C. W. Parker carousel in the world?
Where can a person view a collection of more than a thousand farm toys?
Where can one see Wild Bill Hickok’s pistol and learn the history of independent telephone companies?
These are all part of the Dickinson County Heritage Center in Abilene, Kansas.
Austin Anders is director of the Dickinson County Historical Society. He grew up in Dickinson County, six miles south of the rural community of Chapman, population 1,377 people. Now, that’s rural.
His parents live at Prospect Park Farm, which includes historic homes that they are restoring today.
Anders earned a degree from McPherson College in automotive restoration and business management. He worked for an auto restoration company in Iowa and then moved back to Kansas where he worked for Abilene Machine. He started volunteering at the Dickinson County Historical Society and enjoyed it so much and did so well that in 2021 he was named its director.
The historical society is responsible for operating the Dickinson County Heritage Center in Abilene. “Our most popular attractions are our antique farm toy museum, cowboy heritage area, independent telephone history, and the C. W. Parker carousel,” Anders said.
The building houses many displays, including the Museum of Independent Telephony which shares the story of telecommunications from Alexander Graham Bell to the cell phones of today.
In 1881, C. L. Brown was a local boy who was helping in the family’s grist mill when his elbow was crushed by a piece of equipment. Brown later mused that, if not for this accident, he would probably have been a farmer.
Instead he would go into business and became a highly successful entrepreneur. Among other enterprises, he founded the United Telephone Inc., which would eventually become Sprint Telecommunications.
The Museum of Independent Telephony was established within the heritage center in 1973. It showcases the first telephone installed in Kansas in 1877 and exhibits the progression of telephone manufacturing to modern day. Visitors can play the role of a telephone operator or dial a rotary telephone – remember those?
Guests can pass through batwing doors to enter the cowboy heritage area, which shares the rich history of Abilene as the first of the famous cowtowns. Displays include authentic cowboy gear, a deputy’s badge, and the pistol issued to Wild Bill Hickok.
Outside the museum building is a collection of historic structures called the village, including an 1858 cabin and a 1915 barn.
The newest part of the museum displays antique farm toys. Most of these were collected by a longtime employee at a local farm implement dealership. He donated those to the museum. Additional items are on loan. Local sponsors donated funds for the building to house the collection.
Today there are more than 1,500 toy farm tractors, equipment and memorabilia for guests to see. While grownups peruse the amazing collection, a kid’s area provides children with a farm set where they can play.
The C. W. Parker carousel is another popular attraction. In the 1890s, C. W. Parker spent his last dollar to buy his daughter rides on a carousel instead of purchasing groceries. When he saw the excitement on her face, he decided to get into the carousel business. He began building carousels in Abilene and became so successful that he would become known as the ‘Amusement King.’
In 1976, the Dickinson County Historical Society was able to locate an original C. W. Parker carousel and move it to the heritage center where it resides and operates today. It features horses and chariots artistically hand-carved by German immigrants.
Austin Anders enjoys sharing these attractions with visitors who literally come from all over the world. “We’re here to share the history of Dickinson County,” Anders said.
“Our guest’s faces light up and it is so rewarding,” Anders said. For more information, go to www.heritagecenterdk.com.
The world’s oldest operating C. W. Parker carousel and much, much more is found here. We commend Austin Anders and all those involved with the Dickinson County Heritage Center for making a difference by sharing this history.
It’s a fun ride.
