The Swenson House, at 1726 Swenson St., will be transformed Oct. 26-27 into a haunted house.
The historic landmark, built in 1910, is now cared for by the Abilene Preservation League and receives donations and fundraisers. The history began when first-generation Swedish American, William Grey Swenson, constructed the home.
The annual haunted house, organized by the volunteers of the Swenson House Historical Society, is the most productive fundraiser for the landmark. During the event, there will be two volunteers in each room and four guides, totaling 18 volunteer workers.
This year the theme of the house is Abilene Horror Story, based off of the popular TV show, American Horror Story. Marty Puls, Co-Chairman of Haunted Abilene and Board of Trustees member for the Swenson House Historical Society, said the house is decorated for all ages.
“It is a family-friendly haunted house,” Puls said. “It’s a mild to moderate scare. There is no touching, grabbing, or chasing. We decorate the house completely from top to bottom but you can still see the historic beauty in it.”
Trolley rides, a corn maze, a spooky cemetery and food trucks can be found across the Swenson’s 58 acres. Tickets are $25 for full access to all the attractions or $15 for haunted house access. The tickets can be purchased online. Janet Payne, President of the Swenson House Historical Society, said this is the 10th year of Haunted Abilene.
“We started out just doing a trolley,” Payne said. “The next year we opened up the first floor of the house and then the year after that we opened up the second floor.”
The Swenson House continues to add to their annual Haunted Abilene event every year to attract more people to the history of the mansion.