1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Parsons

PARSONS, a city of Labette county, in south-eastern Kansas, U.S.A., situated at the junction of the Big and Little Labette creeks, about 138 m. S. by W. of Kansas City. Pop. (1890), 6736; (1900), 7682, of whom 807 were negroes; (1905, state census), 11,720. It is served by the Kansas City Fort Scott & Memphis (St Louis & San Francisco system) and the Missouri Kansas & Texas railways. The city has large machine shops of the Missouri Kansas & Texas railway and various manufactures. Natural gas is utilized for light and heat. The first settlement on the site of the city was made in 1869 and was called Mendota (“place of meeting”—i.e. of the creeks). In 1871 the city was chartered, and in 1910 government by commission went into effect. It was named in honour of Levi Parsons (1822–1887), the first president of the Missouri Kansas and Texas railway.