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100th anniversary of the burning of Katy Depot
Anniversaries commemorate events both happy and tragic, and Parsons is recognizing one of the latter. It is the 100th anniversary of the burning of an iconic town structure, The Katy Depot.
That event is the focus of the History Zone at Katy Days, Memorial Day Weekend.
For more than 100 years a very close, mutually beneficial relationship existed between Parsons and the Katy Railroad (Missouri-Kansas--Texas Railroad Co., MKT).
The first Katy station, a wooden structure, was built in 1871, then torn down and replaced with a state-of-the-art depot in 1895. That structure is memorialized in the design of the current Labette Bank Building located at 26th and Main.
The new $100,000 Katy Depot looming on the prairie of southeast Kansas, was constructed mostly of brick and stone with a slate roof. It was located on what now is the west end of Broadway, on the east side of the tracks, a little north and behind the current judicial center, near Central.
Like so many early Kansas towns, Parsons grew around its rail hub. It depended on the Katy for its basic employment to bring money into the community. Community activity thrived around the busy Katy Depot which featured a dining room, and by the time of the fire in 1912, had up to 30 passenger trains a day that came and went.
The disastrous fire stunned the area. It started at about 4 p.m., March 18, 1912, and by 10 p.m. the Katy Depot was completely destroyed.
Although no specific cause was listed in newspaper articles covering the fire, officials said it started on the third floor in the attic area which housed offices, rooms and living quarters for Katy workers, including clerks and waitresses from the dining room. Most all vital Katy records were lost.
For the 2012 Katy Days celebration Saturday, May 26, History Zone organizers Dave Mattox and Mike Brotherton are highlighting the devastating fire.
Dozens of large historic photographs of the 1895 depot and a timeline that traces the depot's construction, use and destruction will be displayed in the Arvon Phillips Recreation Center. In addition to the exhibit of photos and souvenir items, interactive events have been created. Visitors will be encouraged to help complete the display by working on two large jigsaw puzzles, one of the Katy Depot in its glory and the other as the 1912 fire consumed the structure, with the goal to finish both by the end of the celebration.
A chance to win a $100 prize will be offered to all participating in a visual scavenger hunt. Designed to highlight some of Parsons' current public treasures. The contest provides a chance to locate and look closely at elements of the cityscape.
Contestants will be given a sheet of color photographs and asked to list the location of each. All highlight an architectural detail of a building, an element of a historic structure or civic building. Taken in the Parsons city limits, all can be viewed from public property.
Contest entry forms and information will be available beginning Monday, May 21, at Bleacher Gear, the Downtown Parsons Inc. office, the Parsons Recreation Center and the Parsons Chamber of Commerce. Entries will be checked between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, May 26, at the History Zone. Names of contestants who submit forms correctly listing the location of all photos will be placed in a drawing to determine the single $100 winner.
Questions about the contest or History Zone, can be directed to Brotherton at (620) 717-1066, or Mattox at (620) 421-6771. Complete information about the Katy Days Festival is online at www.katydays.com.
Submitted to the Tribune by Eweleen H. Good