Leavenworth, Kansas

Leavenworth is the largest city in, and county seat of Leavenworth County, Kansas. Situated on the west bank of the Missouri River, Leavenworth has a current population of just over 35,000. Known as the "First City of Kansas”, Leavenworth for many people is synonymous with its Federal Penitentiary, which has housed such notorious criminals as George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud. Despite its Hollywood reputation, Leavenworth offers a variety of historic and cultural attractions, including the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum, and the Carroll Mansion, an 1867 Italianate mansion which houses the historical society. Beneath the feet of shoppers in the historic downtown district, Leavenworth conceals a network of underground pathways, storefronts and vaults whose purpose has been forgotten. Leavenworth is also home to the University of Saint Mary, founded in 1923 by the Sisters of Charity.

In 1827, Fort Leavenworth was built on the bluffs above the Missouri River. Due to its location on the fringe of Indian Territory, and at the head of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, it became known as the "jumping-off point" to the West. A settlement built up around the fort, and in 1854 was incorporated as the city of Leavenworth. In 1892, Adam Geiger and his father founded the A.M. Geiger Cement Company. Adam's son started the E.W. Geiger Construction Company, which expanded in the first half of the 20th century to become one of the largest in the state. A third family business, Geiger Ready-Mix, has operated alongside the cement company since 1949. A military prison was established at Fort Leavenworth in 1874, and when work was begun on the United States Federal Penitentiary, inmates from the fort helped in the construction and subsequently became its first inmates in 1903. Leavenworth USP's massive structure was completed in the mid-1920s, and the "Big House," as it was popularly known, was the largest maximum security prison in the United States until 2005 (it is now a medium-security facility).

Leavenworth's has a long tradition of construction and preservation at a time when asbestos-containing construction and insulation materials were widely used. Workers exposed to asbestos may also be at risk for mesothelioma, a cancer of the lungs. If you were exposed to asbestos in Leavenworth, Kansas and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you should also consider contacting a mesothelioma law firm.

Jobsites in Leavenworth where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

A number of jobsites in Leavenworth, KS have been identified as harboring asbestos containing materials. These sites, at one point in their history, were known to have exposed a variety of tradesmen to asbestos. We will be documenting in more detail how asbestos exposure occurred at these sites in the future on this web site.