Louisburg is a city in

Miami County, Kansas Miami County is a County (United States), county located in East-Central Kansas, east-central Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its county seat and most populous city is Paola, Kansas, Paola. As of the 20 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,969.

History

19th century

Prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the land of what is now called Louisburg was part of an area reserved for members of various tribes of Native Americans who were ceding their lands in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Settling there were the Peoria,

Wea The Wea were a Miami–Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as being either closely related to the Miami tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of th ...

Piankeshaw The Piankeshaw, Piankashaw or Pianguichia were members of the Miami tribe who lived apart from the rest of the Miami nation, therefore they were known as Peeyankihšiaki ("splitting off" from the others, Sing.: ''Peeyankihšia'' - "Piankeshaw Pers ...

, and

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...

tribes which together eventually became the Confederated Tribe of Peoria. Traders and

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

often visited the area, and by 1854 Euro-American farmers began moving nearby, establishing homes. Upon the organization of the state of

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in 1861, the Confederated Tribes were being charged with taxes, and the new state laws conflicted with their own. By 1866, following the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the government moved the Confederated Tribe of Peoria to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and the land they once occupied was sold to settlers. A community of homes resulted by 1867, and was called St. Louis. Soon, it was often referred to as New St. Louis or Little St. Louis in an effort to distinguish it from

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. From 1868 to 1870, the settlement of Little St. Louis grew to include businesses and churches, and a railroad depot was to be completed. Because the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad (MKT Railroad) would be coming to serve the community, and to avoid additional confusion, Little St. Louis was renamed Louisburg in 1870. The railroad depot was completed by 1871, and Louisburg's first school opened the same year. The community had some disorder during this time. As a town near the border, there remained conflicts between Kansas Jayhawkers and Missouri Raiders. In addition, the railroad tracks running through the community divided it into north and south areas. ''Circa'' 1875, many businesses and homes were moved from north of the railroad to the south, and formed what was to become downtown Louisburg."Miami County 2008 Visitors Guide", pages 8-9 Louisburg was incorporated as a city of the third class November 3, 1882, and held its first city election two weeks later on November 17, 1882. The population was listed as 400, and 141 of those residents voted in the first election.

20th century

In the early 1900s, Louisburg's downtown had a variety of businesses such as retail stores, supply stores, livery stables, a hotel, and large nurseries. By 1910 the population was 603, and Louisburg was known as a good supply town for agricultural districts. By the 1920s, the town also had a gas station, an automobile ownership and traffic through town had increased. By the late 1950s the MKT Railroad ended its service to Louisburg, but because K-68 went through town and US Highway 69 and K-68 intersected near town, growth continued. In October 1912, an unsolved murder in the community took place as the town's postmaster at the time, George McElheny, was shot twice by a 12-gauge shotgun at his home. Several people were accused of the murder, including his wife, after she admitted an affair with one of the accused, but after intense trials and no hard evidence the case was dropped, and no one ever admitted to the murder. In later years, the murder was almost forgotten until Joe Towne, one of the community leaders, grew interested in the subject and studied it and interviewed those who remembered the tragic situation and wrote true crime novel, "Tongues on Fire".

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Area attractions

''Little Round House''

''The Little Round House'' was originally an addition to a front porch for a Victorian-style house in the nearby town of

Paola Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. In Greek it is Polina. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment * Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer *Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consist ...

, and was called such because it was indeed round in shape. Because of increased truck traffic from Missouri on K-68 through town, Louisburg was contacted by the State of Kansas about needing an inspection station. As a solution, the Little Round House was moved to Louisburg in the 1930s to serve as a

border checkpoint A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders of ...

office. As years passed, the Little Round House became a home to a variety of small businesses, and had been used as temporary housing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The shape and size aided in it becoming a landmark to Louisburg. In 2005, The Little Round House was moved from its original location to the Louisburg City Lake, and has been restored by the community due to its historical value to the town.

Frontier Military Scenic Byway

Along the west side of Louisburg and close to U.S. Route 69 runs part of the Frontier Military Scenic Byway, a -long route from near Leavenworth to the border of Oklahoma. The byway closely follows a road originally built between 1838 and 1844 that was used to transport soldiers and supplies from

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

in Kansas to Fort Scott in Kansas and to

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

in Oklahoma."Miami County 2009 Visitors Guide", pages 6-7

Demographics

Louisburg is part of the

Kansas City metropolitan area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 4,969 people, 1,841 households, and 1,315 families in Louisburg. The population density was 1,018.4 per square mile (393.2/km). There were 1,894 housing units at an average density of 388.2 per square mile (149.9/km). The racial makeup was 91.27% (4,535)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(89.66%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 0.54% (27)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.22% (11) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.66% (33) Asian, 0.04% (2)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 0.72% (36) from other races, and 6.54% (325) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 3.64% (181) of the population. Of the 1,841 households, 41.1% had children under the age of 18; 55.7% were married couples living together; 24.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 24.9% of households consisted of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.3. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 16.8% of the population. 29.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 114.1 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $77,182 (with a margin of error of +/- $17,473) and the median family income was $87,152 (+/- $8,373). Males had a median income of $57,143 (+/- $16,312) versus $35,573 (+/- $4,940) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $39,977 (+/- $7,955). Approximately, 10.4% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 3.9% of those under the age of 18 and 33.5% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,315 people, 1,583 households, and 1,148 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,718 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1%

, 0.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population. There were 1,583 households, of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age in the city was 33.9 years. 30.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 20.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,576 people, 946 households, and 687 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,026 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.21%

, 0.31%

, 0.35% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.04%

, 0.12% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population. There were 946 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,500, and the median income for a family was $51,729. Males had a median income of $33,783 versus $29,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $21,560. About 2.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the

, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Recreation in Louisburg includes several options. The Middle Creek State Fishing Lake is nearby for fishing, and the Louisburg City Lake has a paved pathway around it for individuals to walk or jog. Additionally, Louisburg has the Louisburg Aquatic Center for swimming, a nine-hole public golf course, a city park, and the Lewis-Young Park, which has softball, baseball, and soccer fields that are used day and night. Also located at Lewis-Young Park is the Powell Observatory, which was built in 1984 by members of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City. The observatory's telescopes include one of the largest in the region, which is also one of the few in the nation of its size that is made available for public viewing. The observatory regularly schedules viewings available to the public, and provides shows that are intended to educate individuals about astronomy. Private viewings can also be scheduled. Near Louisburg is Rutlader Outpost, which has an RV park for those who camp and an antique store for shopping. Louisburg is well known for the Louisburg Cider Mill & Country Store which was constructed of wood saved from an old barn on 26945 Metcalf. The Louisburg Cider Mill holds several special events throughout the year, including Ciderfest in the fall. Another unique attraction near Louisburg is Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory & Sanctuary. The big cats such as Siberian tigers, who reside in this conservatory, aid in teaching people about the wild. In addition, the conservatory allows people to learn how to aid these cats and their relatives who still live afar in the wild."Miami County 2013 Visitors Guide", page 8

Government

The Louisburg government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the first and third Mondays of each month at 6:30PM.Louisburg - Directory of Public Officials

Education

The community is served by Louisburg USD 416 public school district. Its schools are: * Louisburg High School (grades 9–12) * Louisburg Middle School (grades 6–8) * Broadmoor Elementary (grades 3–5) * Rockville Elementary (grades Pre K–2)

References

External links

City of Louisburg

Louisburg - Directory of Public Officials

USD 416
local school district
Louisburg city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Miami County, Kansas Populated places established in 1867