A closer look: Williamsburg

In 1867, Englishman William H. Schofield purchased 34,000 acres, former land of the Sac and Fox Indians, that included what is now Williamsburg. A charter of incorporation for The Williamsburg Town Company was filed July 28, 1867.

The first house was built in 1868. The town then was surveyed and staked out and the streets were named. A certification of the map of the town site of Williamsburg was filed at the Franklin County Register of Deeds Office Oct. 12, 1869.

Schofield named the town’s main street William, after himself.

In the early days, the Williamsburg area housed a number of businesses and served as a manufacturing center for the county with a flour mill, saw mill and cheese factories.

Coal mining was a prosperous business in the area for a number of years.

School district No. 51 was organized in 1868. Williamsburg now is part of the West Franklin School District.

The town has suffered several fires. A fire in 1890 destroyed half the town. Fire destroyed two large hotels, and later two fires decimated the main business block. The latest fire destroyed the school auditorium and gymnasium in January 1942.

Information taken from “The History of Franklin County, Kansas,” compiled by the Franklin County Historical Society and Friends of the Ottawa Library.

Just the facts: Williamsburg

• Male — 46.7 percent

• Female — 53.3 percent

• Median age — 31.8

• Median household income — $23,393

• Families below poverty level — 18.2 percent

• Individuals below poverty level — 17.4 percent

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