 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Judge Levi Parsons, promoter and president of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad,
commonly known as “the KATY”.
Parsons was incorporated by the Parsons Town Company on March 8, 1871 with a public sale
of lands held on the wide platforms of the KATY freight house. This was just 10 years after
Kansas became a state. Rapid expansion and civic improvements made Parsons a thriving
frontier town, boasting a solid income from railroads and agriculture.
By the beginning of the 1900s Parsons had a business college and a state hospital for
persons with epilepsy. Many grand and elegant homes were constructed as the town
flourished. Many of these survive today and contribute to the city’s beauty.
Through the years Parsons has continued to progress with its major long term employers
being the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center, the Union Pacific Railroad (formerly the
KATY), and the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant and is the home of Labette Community
College. Parsons continues to be the transportation hub of the Union Pacific Railroad and
Highway US 59 and US 400.
