A historic home in Abilene which a young Dwight D. Eisenhower made deliveries to as a youth has been honored.

According to the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau, on Tuesday evening friends of the Historic Seelye Mansion gathered for a surprise celebration. Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial presented the Hometown Heroes award to Terry Tietjens,  and the mansion’s dedicated staff and volunteers.

Tietjens and his brother Jerry purchased the Historic Seelye Mansion in 1982, and the mansion officially opened for tours in December 1985. Today, the property is proudly owned by the Historic Seelye Mansion Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to preserving the mansion and sharing its rich history.

The Seelye Mansion is like a time capsule, with most of the home’s furnishings purchased at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The furnishings cost more than the $55,000 that was spent building the 11,000-square-foot home. The mansion features the original Edison light fixtures and Tiffany-style mantel. Frank Lloyd Wright suggested remodeling the interior in the 1920s. The home was featured on the History Channel’s Mysteries at the Mansion. Visitors even get to bowl on the 1904 Box Ball Alley, which was purchased at the World’s Fair.

Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered ice to the Seelye Mansion when he was a young boy. The Seelye sisters recounted stories of Ike as a man from the “other side of the tracks”.

The Seelye Mansion is open for tours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Photos via Seelye Mansion