1950
April 29: Eastborough sub-
division opens.
May 11: A replica Statue of
Liberty is erected in front of
Parsons Junior College.
1951
Feb. 13: An Air Force B-29
crashes at the foot of the Katy
overpass on U.S. 59. Thirteen
crewmen parachute, but one
drowns.
1950s
‘50 ‘51 ‘52
1952
March 14: The Main Street
underpass at the Katy tracks
opens.
May 31: The last passenger
train on the Katy’s Neosho Di-
vision makes final run.
Dec. 20: The transfer is
made from the old Washington
School to the new structure,
with students set to resume
studies on Jan. 5.
1953
Dec. 10: Plans are an-
nounced to expand the Tom
Broderick building to nearly
double its space at 24th and
Broadway.
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1954
May 15: Parsonian Hotel
opens.
Aug. 2: The old West Junior
High School at 26th and Main is
demolished.
Aug. 17: The last Katy steam
engine (No. 508) is scrapped at
the Parsons reclamation plant.
Nov. 17: KG&E’s new $12
million power plant begins ser-
vice.
Nov. 29: Classes convene
for the first time in the new
West Junior High School at 31st
and Morton.
1955
June 15: The Parsons Recre-
ation Commission is organized.
Sept. 8: Parsons merchants
begin custom of late shopping
hours on Thursdays.
Oct. 13: Fred Ronald Manu-
facturing Co. begins production
at 3339 Main.
‘53 ‘54 ‘55 ‘56 ‘57
1956
May 23: The new Safeway
store at 26th and Main opens.
Aug. 6: Construction is set
to start on new Naval Reserve
building at 29th and Morton at
a cost of $160,000.
Sept. 17: The new St. Mary’s
Parish School is dedicated.
1960
June 18: Owners B.B. Lassen
1957
The underpass on Fellows
Avenue in the Wye area is filled
in due to an insufficient drain-
age system.
Oct. 2: A water tower is built
at 18th and Appleton at a cost
of $11,940.
Oct. 30: The city officially
annexes Eastborough housing
tract.
1960s
‘58 ‘59 ‘60
1958
July 6: The Hall-
mark plant, which was
located in the old Katy
office building from
1946 to 1958, closes.
Dec. 3: Paving be-
gins on South 16th
Street, the new route
of U.S. 59 Highway.
1959
Aug. 20: Meadow View
School is ready for use.
Oct. 14: Katy Railroad do-
nates its records building on
Broadway to the city. It is to be
given to the American Legion.
and Ernie Renfro open Tower
Bowling Lanes east of Parsons.
1961
Jan. 17: Name of Pep Field
changes to Tri-City Airport.
March 10: Central Airlines
begins regular air service at Tri-
City Airport.
June 17: Lake Parsons opens
for fishing.
Oct. 1: Labette County Med-
ical Center opens.
1962
Feb. 1: Sun Publishing Co.
announces purchase of a build-
ing on the northeast corner of
18th and Belmont.
Nov. 3: The Parsons Sun
moves to its new location at
18th and Belmont.
‘61 ‘62 ‘63 ‘64 ‘65
1963
April 28: The new St.
Mary’s Catholic Church
is dedicated.
Aug. 15: The first
black homecoming is an-
nounced.
1964
April 15: The Board
of Education rules that
Parsons Junior College
will drop football.
Sept. 1: John Troy of
McAlester, Oklahoma,
purchases Pfeiffer Jew-
elry Co., the city’s oldest
retail store.
1965
June 7: Grandview Products
Co. of Kansas City announces it
will move to Parsons and locate
at the Kansas Ordinance Plant.
1966
June 29: County voters ap-
prove Labette Community Col-
lege.
Oct. 4: The USD 503 board
announces the changing of the
name of Southwest Elementary
School to Guthridge Education
Center.
1968
June 9: It is announced that
IMI Inc., a newly formed busi-
ness forms printing plant, will
open in August.
Nov. 10: A fire causes an
estimated loss of $1 million
to Adventure Line Manufac-
turing Co.
‘66 ‘67 ‘68 ‘69
1969
March 21: The Matthewson
Hotel is demolished in the name
of urban renewal.