On August 10th, 1893, the cornerstone was laid for the foundation of the new Webb City Baptist College which was located at the intersection of College and Austin streets. The Baptist College Board had decided to move the college from Pierce City to Webb City in order to benefit from the areas increased mining population and because of better access to S.W. Missouri provided by the St. Louis and San Francisco and the Missouri Pacific railroads, both of which passed through the town by this time.

In 1902, the Baptist College was reorganized into the Webb City College for Young Ladies, and educated young ladies through 1908. In 1909 the college was closed, the property sold, and the building was converted into an apartment building.

In 1928, Amos Hatten (1859-1950) purchased the property. On May 1st, 1933 he donated the land to the city for a new park and golf course. In 1936, the existing apartment building was torn down and the basement was used in the construction of a city swimming pool under the WPA (Works Progress Administration) program. Contrary to popular belief, the pool bath house was not part of the original college, but was built at the same time as the pool. The pool remained open until the 1970's when it was closed due to the ever increasing cost of structural maintenance. The pool was eventually filled in and capped.

Today, Hatten Park features a family-size pavilion, a playground module for ages 5-12 and another playground module for ages 2-5. There are also picnic tables, and several basketball goals. The Webb City Parks and Recreation Department has scheduled a park-wide restoration beginning in the fall of 2014. The project will be focused on restoring, as much as is practical, Hatten Park to its original WPA appearance of the 1930’s.

354 N. College Street