Williamstown is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in southeastern

Jefferson County, Kansas Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Oskaloosa. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 18,368. The county was named after Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 96. It is located south of the junction of

US-24 U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States Numbered Highways of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Misso ...

and US-59.

History

Kaw Agency and Chief White Plume

In 1825, the U.S. Government built a stone house for Chief White Plume, the Kaw chief from the band known as the Half-breeds. Kaw

Half-Breed Tract A Half-Breed Tract was a segment of land designated in the western states by the United States government in the 19th century specifically for Métis of American Indian and European or European-American ancestry, at the time commonly known as ha ...

#23 became the site of the Kaw Agency in 1827. The house was located approximately 50 yards north of the Kansas Pacific depot. By time the town was platted in 1865, the stone house was in disrepair. However, the creek named after the old stone house was still a good place to settle, and so Williamstown was founded on its banks in 1865.

Founding

Williamstown was founded in 1865 in the

Kansas River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a meandering river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is potentially the southwestern most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is sometimes in turn the northwesternmost portion of ...

valley near the

Kansas Pacific Railway The Kansas Pacific Railway (KP) was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century. It was a federally chartered railroad, backed with government land grants. At a time when the first transcontin ...

and on the banks of Stone House Creek by local property owners Mapes, Williams & Moore. It was originally in the territory of Sarcoxie Township, and then part of Rural Township when it was formed in 1871. The first store was opened in 1865 by Samuel Mitchell. A sawmill was established south of the railroad, and the town began to grow slowly. It had a post office, railroad depot, and schoolhouse. The town had trouble growing in the early years because of the establishment by railroad officials of the town of

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

, three miles to the West.

Notable events

Early murders

In the early years of Williamstown's settlement, three particularly brutal murders were committed there. The perpetrators were never found.

1893 tornado

On June 21, 1893, at around 7 pm, Williamstown was devastated by a tornado. The tornado passed southeast through Williamstown and the surrounding area. It left a track one-half mile wide and six miles long. The tornado was particularly violent, destroying everything in its path and knocking over headstones in Underwood Cemetery. At least 15 people were killed instantly, and many more injured. In several cases, bodies had been found decapitated or missing limbs, sometimes up to three miles away from their homes. The injured were tended to by physicians gathered at Perry, while residents of Perry and Lawrence assisted in the search and rescue efforts throughout the night of the 21st and day of the 22nd. On the Sunday following the tornado, the Union Pacific ran several special trains to Williamstown for people to see the damage.

Floods

In 1903, cities all along the

were inundated by flood waters, with Williamstown being hit on May 31. The water supposedly reached from bluff to bluff along the whole width of the river valley. As telephone was not available in the area, many people lost livestock and property due to the very short notice. The area was again hit in the

Great Flood of 1951 In mid-July 1951, heavy rains led to a great rise of water in the Kansas River, Missouri River, and other surrounding areas of the Central United States. Flooding occurred in the Kansas, Neosho, Marais Des Cygnes, and Verdigris river basins. ...

, with much more devastating effect to property.

Demographics

Education

The community is served by Perry–Lecompton USD 343 public school district. The old Williamstown Elementary closed in 2009 and children currently attend schools in Perry and Lecompton. The school is now the Williamstown Assembly of God.

References

External links

* Jefferson County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT {{Authority control Census-designated places in Jefferson County, Kansas