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 #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 valley near the
Kansas Pacific Railway 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, 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. 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
Kansas River 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, with much more devastating effect to property. ==Demographics==