Fearless Fave Five: Historic Homes Built By Abilene Merchants
If you're familiar with central Abilene, you've probably seen a lot of historic-looking homes in and around downtown. Following are five homes that are a part of Abilene's history, built by some of our city's first merchants. When I spoke with historian Jay Moore, he reminded me how fortunate we are to have such a rich history in Abilene.
These are the homes of the men and women who settled in Abilene in the early 1900s. While you certainly may recognize some of these establishments, the names of the people who ordered them to be built may also seem familiar.
Names like Horace and Ella Wooten, who built the Wooten Hotel and Wooten grocery store. Or Will and Mabel Minter, who opened Minter's Hardware in 1900 and sold all the supplies for other homes built in Abilene. Minter’s Dry Goods was another business the Minters began in 1924.
Most of these homes are no longer owned by direct descendant family members. Nearly all are now owned by either investors or a preservation group who know oh-so-well the history behind the buildings.
These are my Fearless Fave Five, in order from #5 to #1. Take a look at how "up with the times" these beautiful historic homes are. These long-ago Abilene business owners helped build Abilene and employed a lot of Abilenians along the way.
Source: Jay Moore & The Stone Owl Institute
Photo Source: The Portal of Texas History
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