My Favorite Historical Landmarks in Abilene Are a Must See

Abilene started out as a rough-and-tough, wild-west kind of town, made complete by the hotels, railroad, saloons, dancing ladies, and a real wild-west shoot-em-up gunfight on Pine Street.

That infamous gunfight involved Wild Bill Hickok and left three dead, one of those his deputy, and happened in front of Wooten Grocers on North First and Walnut. You see, Abilene hasn't always been the quiet, peaceful, charming little West Texas town we all know and love today.

Some of these landmark buildings helped form Abilene into the epicenter of the Big Country that it is today. Of course, throughout the years, Abilene has seen much growth and many changes, and has been the home to four military installations and two major hospitals.

In my opinion, Abilene recently lost one of its most historic landmarks, a building on the very land where Abilene began at the corner of North First and Cypress Street. Back then, it was a printing company and a newspaper in the late 1800s, known as the Abilene Reporter. Just prior to the Abilene Reporter staking its claim on that piece of land, it was the spot where early settlers bid on land when they came to settle in West Texas.

Scroll for pics and a brief history on some of Abilene's most notable landmarks and buildings, like the Grace Museum, the Wooten, the Windsor, the T&P Railroad Depot, the Paramount Theater, and more.