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What Abilene, Texas, looked like in the 1950s

Abilene is a city located in the northeast corner of Taylor County. It was one of many towns founded by the Texas and Pacific Railway as it made its way west to California. People living in Abilene were aggressive, which made them different from other railroad towns and more successful. During the oil boom of the 1920s, Abilene became a center for wholesale and retail trade, transportation, media, and cultural events. It was also the headquarters of independent oil operators. World War II brought Abilene to the forefront. In 1940, 1.5 million soldiers and millions of dollars arrived in the city with Camp Barkeley and Tye Army Air Field opening. Civic leaders diversified Abilene’s economic base after Barkeley closed a decade ago, but they never forgot what a military installation had done for the local economy. They were successful in lobbying Congress to approve the construction of Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene in 1952.

Here are some stunning historical photos that show Abilene in the 1950s. During the 1950s, Abilene’s population nearly doubled, from 45,570 to 90,638. In 1959 Abilene made extensive improvements to the downtown area.

#1 Baack’s Florist, 1954. The building has a sign in front and large display windows. There is a cat sitting on the sidewalk in front of it.

#2 The exterior of a milk building on Pioneer Drive in Abilene, 1958

#4 The D and W Tire Company on S. 1st and Elm St. in Abilene, Texas, 1956

#5 The D and W Tire Company, 1956. There are a few cars parked in front of the store and one car appears to be getting serviced. Galbraith Electric is next to the store.

#6 Apples at School by Ben E. Keith Co., 1958

Apples at School by Ben E. Keith Co., 1958

The students are sitting in their desks holding up Ben E. Keith Co. apples. A man and woman stand at the back of the room.

#7 Bank of Commerce on Pioneer Street, 1956

Bank of Commerce on Pioneer Street, 1956

Signs on the front and side of the building say "Bank of Commerce." There are several bushes surrounding the buildings. In the foreground, there is a parking lot and street.

#8 The McMurry College calliope on the street in front of the Metro Theater in Abilene with a group of people standing around it in the mid 1950’s.

#9 The Citizens National Bank under construction, 1954. The multi-story building’s frame is partially completed. There are men working and cars parked at the site.

#11 The completed Citizens National Bank building, 1955

#12 Abilene Aviation Company Hanger, 1956

Abilene Aviation Company Hanger, 1956

A sign above the top of the hanger says, "Abilene Aviation Co." A parked car and a part of another building are visible behind the hanger on the right side of the image.

#13 A man loading a forklift with compressed cotton in Abilene, Texas, 1956

#14 Three women in skirts sitting together looking at what appears to be a large piece of paper, 1958. The woman on the right appears to have a small paintbrush in her hand.

#15 Two students in costumes for a play at Abilene High School, 1958.

Two students in costumes for a play at Abilene High School, 1958.

One student is sitting on a set piece, and the other has one foot on it, and is looking at a book. Two guns are leaning on the set piece beside the students. To the left, there is a tree.

#17 Baack’s Florist shop, 1954

Baack's Florist shop, 1954

The building has a sign in front and large display windows. It is viewed from across a street corner, and there are other buildings in the background.

#18 A machine at a dairy in Abilene, 1958. Fourteenth and Butternut Streets. A worker is putting glass bottles into the machine.

#19 Banner Dairies on South Fourteenth and Butternut in Abilene, Texas, 1958

#22 A partially constructed overpass at Highway 80 and S. 1st St. in Abilene, 1958

#24 Paradise Room restaurant in the Sands Hotel, 1956. There are tables set for four or five people. There appears to be pictures of birds along the walls.

#25 Classroom at Abilene High School, 1958

Classroom at Abilene High School, 1958

Students are seated at desks, looking at books while a teacher stands over them. There are decorations in the classroom as well as a map and chalkboard.

#26 The construction of Cooper High School, 1955. Several buildings are all partially built. There are various pieces of construction machinery around the buildings. Several men stand on top of one of the buildings.

#27 A Trailways bus in front of a Continental Trailways building, 1955

#29 A group of boys at the Abilene Boys Ranch. The boys are standing in two rows in a mostly empty room. The younger boys stand in the first row.

#30 A man weighing a large barrel of compressed cotton, 1956. One man is checking the scale and another is holding the cotton on a dolly.

#31 The Abilene Public Library, 1957. The building is on the corner of Cedar and North 2nd Street. There are other buildings on each side of the library, cars parked on the street, and light posts.

#32 Abilene Reporter News boys and a man standing around a newspaper printer, looking at the stack of newspapers on the machine, 1955

#33 Buildings at the Abilene State School, 1958

Buildings at the Abilene State School, 1958

There are a few trees in front of the buildings. There appears to be construction happening on a street in front of the buildings.

#34 Abilene State School, 1958. In this image are three whether worn barns off the side of a dirt road.

#36 The exterior of a brick building on an Air Force base, 1956

The exterior of a brick building on an Air Force base, 1956

In the foreground, there are piles of dirt. In the background, there are two cars.

#37 AMCO Manufacturing, 1958. To the side of the building, there are several cars parked in a parking lot. In the foreground, there is a street.

#38 Automobile Accident, 1954

Automobile Accident, 1954

A couple of people, including a policeman is overlooking the scene. A car can be seen with the front side smashed in.

#39 A Beechcraft Model 50 Twin Bonanza inside a hanger at the Jack Hughes Airport in Abilene, Texas, 1956

#41 The Busch and Sons jewelry store, taken from across the street, 1955

The Busch and Sons jewelry store, taken from across the street, 1955

There are signs and display cases by the store entrance. Other stores are on each side of the jewelry store. A car is parked on the left. The building is several stories tall.

#43 A herd of cattle surrounded by a fence near Highway Eighty East in Abilene, Texas, 1958

#44 Four young boys playing with puppets, 1958. By the children there is a table with what seems to be a puppet theater box on it.

#45 A choir at the Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, 1955.

#46 The Christmas Story float at a Christmas Parade in Abilene, 1956

#50 The construction of W. P. Wright Boulevard near Dyess Air Force Base, 1955

#51 A side view of the exterior of the Trailways building, 1955. There is a garden of cacti and other succulents near the street. In the foreground is the back end of a car.

#52 A cotton gin with bales of cotton in front and a water tower and windmill on the left, 1958

#53 A cotton gin and the surrounding cotton fields. Several large trailers and storage areas are also around the fields, 1958

#54 A cotton gin, 1958. There is a truck and trailer being loaded with cotton by a man. There are several buildings and machines with a tractor and power lines between them.

#56 A show at the Sands Hotel in Abilene, 1957. The Crew Cuts quartet is singing on stage at the back of a room with an audience sitting around tables.

#57 People at the groundbreaking ceremony for a home for disabled children, 1955

People at the groundbreaking ceremony for a home for disabled children, 1955

A man and two children are on a platform by a podium. A group of people is gathered on the other side of it. Some of the children are in wheelchairs.

#58 A groundbreaking ceremony for the Crippled Children’s Home in Abilene, 1955

#60 Several people at the Abilene Municipal Airport, 1956

#62 An exterior view of a brick building identified as Doctor Fox’s Office, 1959

#63 A dorm building at Abilene Christian College, 1959

#64 An exterior view of the McMurry College dorms, 1959

#65 Pete Olds and Louis A. Rochez alongside other people at a banquet at the Dyess Air Force Base, 1954

#66 Five Air Force personnel standing on a runway at the Dyess Air Show in Abilene, Texas, 1955

#67 Three men during a ground breaking for the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, 1955

#70 The H. O. Wooten Grocery Company building located at Treadaway Boulevard at South 13th Street in Abilene, Texas, 1956

#71 The exterior view of the Hendrick Hospital in Abilene, Texas, 1950s. The building is about six stories high and there are cars parked on the street in front of the hospital.

#72 A highway accident scene and a railroad crossing. There is a truck parked on the right side of the road, 1955

#76 A group of people in the Thunderbird Lodge Hotel swimming pool, 1950s

#77 An exterior view of a wooden house with a garage, 1958

#78 A J. D. Moore moving truck on the side of the road, 1958

#80 A Kiwanis Club meeting at the Sands Hotel in Abilene, 1950s

#81 Lady Bird Johnson and other people at the Democratic Convention at Abilene Municipal Airport, 1956

#85 Mack Eplen’s Drivateria on N. 1st St. in Abilene, 1956

#86 A large crowd men, women and children standing on a runway at the Dyess Air Show in Abilene, Texas, 1955

#92 Elementary School Under Construction, 1958. In the front of the building, there is an awning and three cars parked beside it.

#93 Elementary School Under Construction, 1958. The building has awnings, and there are vehicles parked beside it. It is in a bare field with power lines around it.

#95 Elliott’s Funeral Homem 1959

Elliott's Funeral Homem 1959

It looks like a large house, with an "Elliott's" sign over the front door and another building on the left. There are trees in the yard and a car parked in the driveway with a street in front.

#97 Expensive Homes on Leggett Drive, 1958. There are a two trees in the yard in front of the house and a few trees to the side of the house.

#98 Parking garage at F and M Bank, 1955. The building has seven above ground levels. There are buildings, a car, and power lines behind it.

#101 Exterior view of First Baptist Church in Abilene, 1958. The church has Gothic style architecture and a large bell tower. There are cars parked in the street outside the church.

#102 First Presbyterian Church located on North 5th and Orange Street, 1954

#103 Grissom’s Department Store at River Oaks, 1955

#104 fruits and vegetables aisle in Super Duper grocery store in Abilene, Texas, 1956

#106 The groundbreaking of University Baptist Church, 1958. There is a crowd of people facing away from the camera. Three people are sitting on top of a truck.

#108 W. T. U. Power Plant, 1956

W. T. U. Power Plant, 1956

There are two networks of wires and beams, with an electric pole leading to the front network. There is also various other plant equipment visible beside the networks.

#113 West Texas Utilities Float in Parade, 1956

West Texas Utilities Float in Parade, 1956

The float consists of a cut-out of a cartoon man made of electric bolts in the front, and two women sitting on the side. In the background, there are men on horses; there is also a crowd of people standing in front of buildings and watching the parade.

#114 A building exterior that seems to be a cotton factory, 1958

#115 The construction site of the Westwood Theater located on N. 1st in Abilene, Texas, 1959

#119 Women and Crowd by Swimming Pool, 1956

Women and Crowd by Swimming Pool, 1956

Photograph of nine women at the Sands Hotel swimming pool. There is a large crowd in the background. There are women in costume in the crowd.

#122 A wrestling match at Fair Park, 1955

A wrestling match at Fair Park, 1955

One wrestler is laying on the ground, and the other wrestler is holding his leg up in the air. The referee is leaning over the wrestler on the ground. In the background, there is a crowd watching.

#125 Men standing outside the Magnolia’s Station auto shop on S. First St. in Abilene, 1956

#126 The Majestic Theatre in Abilene, viewed from the street, 1950s

#135 Mini Speedboat Races, 1955

Mini Speedboat Races, 1955

Several boats are in the lake, and some have people wearing life jackets in them; other people are standing beside the boats with people in them. On the shore, there are people standing near the water, and cars and trailers are behind the people.

#137 Miss Universe Contest, 1958

Miss Universe Contest, 1958

Contestant number twenty wearing a bathing suit standing on a small platform at the Miss Universe Contest. The small platform is on a larger wooden runway that goes across the swimming pool.

#138 A crowd at a beauty pageant contest. They are all sitting while a man and a woman appear to sing on a small stage, 1958

#140 The Cowboy Band performing at the Sands Hotel, 1956

#141 New Mayflower Moving Building on W. N. First, 1958

#142 Two Amco buildings on West N. 1st Street in Abilene, 1958. The buildings are viewed from across a street, and there are cars parked beside them and power lines around them.

#143 New Mayflower Moving Building on W. N. First, 1958

#146 A group of men at the Diamond Jubilee of Dyess Air Force Base, 1956

#148 A large group of people behind the two sets of glass double doors inside of the Citizens National Bank, 1956

#149 The Citizens National Bank in Abilene at its opening, 1956

#150 The opening day for the Veterans of Foreign Wars pool on First Street in Abilene, Texas, 1956

#152 The Partin Real Estate building on N. 4th St. in Abilene, 1956.

#153 Peak’s Pharmacy at 1052 N. 5th Street in Abilene, 1953

#155 The Phantom Hill Water Pump at Lake Fort Phantom Hill, 1956

#156 Construction on a water ditch at Lake Ft. Phantom Hill, 1957

#159 A young man helping with a polio drive in downtown Abilene, 1955

#163 A bus stopped at a bus stop near an intersection in downtown Abilene, 1955

#170 Road construction at the corner of Pine Street in Abilene, 1957

#171 Construction machinery at an air base construction site in Racine, 1957

#176 The pool area at the Sands Hotel in Abilene, 1956

#177 The Paradise Room restaurant with most tables set for a group of four, 1957

#184 The Sears Roebuck and Co. store on Sayles and S. First Streets in Abilene, 1958

#185 An exterior view of a building identified as Shook Tire Company on Oak Street in Abilene, 1958

#186 Snow covering a barbed wire fence, a tree, and several plants, 1958

#187 A snow covered field, road, barbed wire fence, and power lines, 1959

#188 A street scene with the sidewalks and vegetation all covered in snow, 1959

#189 Part of the Abilene downtown after it has snowed, 1959

#190 South 20th Street and Sayles Boulevard, Abilene, 1953

#199 Young men handing polio drive balloons to passing motorists in Abilene, 1955

#211 Mack Eplen’s Drivateria, a small restaurant located on N. 1st in Abilene, 1956

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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