Fort Scott National Historic Site

National Historic Site · KS · nps.gov page

Picture of the post hospital with the parade ground and trees in the background.
Picture of the Post HospitalPhoto: NPS Photo

Promises made and broken! Who deserves to be free? The fight for freedom! Soldiers fighting settlers! Each of these stories is a link in the chain of events that encircled Fort Scott from 1842-1873. All of the site's structures, its parade ground, and its tallgrass prairie bear witness to this era when the country was forged from a young republic into a united transcontinental nation.

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News

  • A collage of drawings depicting some of the violent events associated with the fort.
    Murder and Mayhem at the Fort

    Fort Scott National Historic Site will offer four special candle lantern tours on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, as part of its Murder and Mayhem at the Fort program. Tour leaders will share lesser-known stories of tragedy and macabre events from Fort Scott’s 19th century history, focusing on the 1840s through the 1860s.

  • 199 New Citizens standing and taking their oath on the grassy parade ground.
    Fort Scott National Historic Site to Host Special Naturalization Ceremony on September 16

    Media outlets and the general public are invited to Fort Scott National Historic Site on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, for a Special Naturalization Ceremony at the fort’s parade ground. Check-in for ceremony participants begins at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. The Honorable Holly L. Teeter, United States District Judge for the District of Kansas, is scheduled to preside.

  • Five grouped pictures of reenactors in period clothing.
    Labors on the Frontier

    Saturday through Monday, September 5-7, 2026, Fort Scott National Historic Site will take you on an exploration of the labors and leisure on an 1840s frontier post. Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., enjoy a variety of living history demonstrations as you explore the labors on the fort. Monday will be Artillery demonstrations at 9, 10, and 11 a.m.

  • A crew of volunteers dressed in 1840s white uniforms firing a 6lb field cannon.
    Join Fort Scott NHS for the Sights and Sounds of American Independence

    Celebrate American independence with the sounds of cannon fire and immersion in America’s history while honoring the men and women who have defended the United States through the growth of our nation. On Saturday, July 4th, we will fire artillery, lead Fort tours, and honor all those who have fought for our freedom.

  • Picture of a older and worn flag with wrinkles.
    Official US Flag Disposal Ceremony

    Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 3:30 p.m., Fort Scott National Historic Site, American Legion Post 25, and Fort Scott Fire Department will be hosting an official US Flag Disposal Ceremony. Bring your: United States, POW/MIA, State, and Service (U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard) flags to the fort between now and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and we will properly and respectfully dispose of them. Just as there’s etiquette for displaying Old Glory, there’s also etiquette for disposing of flags in a dignified manner.

Photos

Wood frame structures with stairs next to a stone walkway. Structures reflect afternoon sunlight.
Officers quarters at Fort Scott bathed in the light of the afternoon sun.Photo: NPS Photo
Four soldiers on horseback in a line riding through prairie grass.
Soldiers on horseback patrol the prairie.Photo: NPS Photo/Michelle Martin
Women dressed as laundresses with laundry buckets and scrub boards stand on a stone porch.
High school students dressed as laundresses demonstrate laundry methods of the 1840sPhoto: NPS Photo
Picture of rows of flags across the parade ground with trees in the background.
Image of flags from the Symbols of Sacrifice event.Photo: NPS Photo: B. Boyko
6 reenactors dressed in white are firing a 6lbs field cannon.
Artillery DemonstrationPhoto: NPS Photo: C. Brenner

Park information and photos come from the National Park Service. This is not an official NPS site.