The following text has been copied from the Kansas tourism website: (
visit link)
"Fort Scott – Fort Scott, Kansas
Situated on the eastern edge of Kansas is a place of history that impacted the flow of the pioneers from the east to the west in the mid 1800’s. Fort Scott was established in 1842 as the move to settle the west was getting underway.
This area of the state (which wasn’t a state at the time) experienced what has been named as "Bleeding Kansas" because of the conflicts that ensued because of the differences of opinions between the factions that had moved into the area. The pro-slavers, free-staters and the abolitionists were all at odds of how the territory should be settled. This lead to a bloody time in the history of the state as rival territorial governments, election fraud, and squabbles over land claims all were part of the violence of this era. These conflicts with their bloody results continued until 1861 when Kansas entered the Union as a free state.
In 1856 a group of approximately 30 pro-slavery settlers from South Carolina arrived in Bourbon County who were suspected of being sponsored by the Southern Emigrant Aide Society and were members of the Dark Lantern Societies. These societies terrorized free-state settlers and attempted to drive them from Kansas.
During this time in the "Bleeding Kansas" history there was murder, mayhem, destruction and psychological warfare running rampant in Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri. One of these attempts included the massacre in May 1856 at Pottawatomie Creek where John Brown and his sons killed five pro-slavery advocates.
Fort Scott did not escape the tensions and troubles of this time. The area was divided and clearly visible at the site of the "old fort". The fort has been abandoned in 1853 and sold at auction two years later creating a nucleus of a rapidly growing town.
Two of the buildings of the fort became hotels. The former officer’s quarters was opened as the Fort Scott or Free State Hotel. Directly across the parade ground was the western or Pro-Slavery Hotel. The residents of Fort Scott were predominately pro-slavers, while free-staters and abolitionists dominated the surrounding countryside. Due to this division radicals of each side brought terror to the thrown throughout the "Bleeding Kansas" era.
The year 1858 was the most violent year of this era. The infamous James Montgomery became a leader of free state forces and was involved in many of the violent incidents that encompassed the area.
In April of 1858, Montgomery and his men fought U. S troops stationed at Fort Scott in the battle of Paint Creek. One soldier was killed in this encounter.
In May of 1858, Montgomery and his men drove pro-slavery forces from Linn County. In retaliation, eleven free-staters were pulled out of their homes, taken to a ravine and shot down. This incident, known as the Marais des Cygnes Massacre was rumored to have been plotted in the Western Hotel.
On June 5, 1858, Montgomery and his raiders tried to burn down the Western Hotel. Several shots were fired into the hotel and surrounding homes, but the hotel was saved.
Violence, such as this, caught the governor’s attention. On June 15, 1858, he held a meeting at the Western Hotel in order to settle political unrest. While this meeting nearly broke out into a riot, it was successful. Peace and quiet reigned for a brief five-month period.
Montgomery and his raiders struck again in December of 1858 when he rescued Benjamin Rice, a free-soiler. Rice had been arrested for murder and was imprisoned in the Fort Scott Hotel. Montgomery claimed that he was jailed illegally, so he came to Fort Scott to free him.
All of this violence took place before the Civil War. It wasn’t just in Kansas that this type of violence occurred; it was part of the political storm that swept the United States before the Civil War started.
During the Civil War Kansas was the first state to officially recruit and train military units of black soldiers. The 1st and 2nd Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiments were recruited between July 1862 and October 1863. They were mustered into the Army at Fort Scott. These brave soldiers compiled a proud campaign record in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian Territory.
In 1865 there were just 71 miles of railroad track in Kansas. By 1890 there were 8,763 miles. With this being the case the flurry of railroad construction brought the final phase of military occupation to Fort Scott.
Fort Scott was active with military personnel during the Civil War. This created growth and economic development to the town and had the community leaders working to find ways to make Fort Scott the dominant trade center of southeast Kansas.
Due to the railroad having to go through Indian land to get to the Gulf of Mexico (through what is now Oklahoma) there were problems, not only with land ownership but also with those that didn’t want the railroad to take the land. Because of the conflicts that ensued the federal government sent troops to the area to protect the railroad workers. These troops were headquartered at Fort Scott even though the troops were stationed in camps along the right of way.
The railroad years of 1869-73 marked the end of military involvement at Fort Scott. Thus ended an era that had spanned three decades and had witnessed the transformation of Fort Scott from an isolated frontier outpost to a developing trade center. More important, it was an era in which Fort Scott was involved in several events that brought about the opening, settlement and development of the West.
When you visit Fort Scott you will see things such as the buckets that are hanging on the wall. These were used to fight fires and were filled with sand or water to extinguish small fires quickly.
There are 20 historic structures on the site of the Fort. 11 of the buildings contain historic fabric and area considered original buildings which have been restored. You will see these when you visit the Post Hospital, Officers Quarters 1, 2, and 4, the Quartermaster Storehouse, Bake-House, the Old Stone Building, and Stone Outbuildings. The Carriage Houses were built circa 1855-65 after the fort was first abandoned by the military. The other buildings on site are reconstructions.
You can also visit the National Cemetery while you are at the Fort. You will need to go to the south end of town about a mile and a half from the fort.
Fort Scott was garrisoned by Union troops during the Civil War. It was a training center, supply depot and had a General U.S. Army Hospital and Military Prison.
You will see boxes of sand around the fort; these were used as pit boxes for tobacco and snuff.
In the fort you will be able to find military records of soldiers that were stationed there during the Civil War. Most of these records are of Kansas regiments and primarily hospital records.
Open: Fort Scott National Historic Site is open year round from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. April-October and 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. from November-March. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
The site is open daily for self-guided tours. An audio-visual program orients visitors to the history of the site. Guided tours are offered daily at 1:00 p.m. during the summer. Guided tours at other times of year are available for groups by advance arrangement. During the spring, middle school and elementary education programs are presented. The site also hosts three special events per year and participates in a fourth in conjunction with the community. Occasionally, additional events are added each year.
A minimum of one hour is recommended to view the 12-minute audio-visual program and to walk through the buildings. Three to four hours are required to read all the exhibits and to participate in the interpretive activities offered during the summer. Activities on special event weekends go throughout the day.
Directions: Fort Scott National Historic Site is located in downtown Fort Scott, Kansas. U.S. Highways 69 and 54 intersect here. Fort Scott is about 90 miles south of Kansas City and 60 miles northwest of Joplin, Missouri. It is 4 miles from the Kansas-Missouri border.
Design: Fort Scott uses three styles of architecture: French Colonial, Greek revival, and vernacular. The most dominant is French Colonial; characterized by wide porches, stairways and a broken roofline. Most living quarters are on the second floor to avoid bad air believed to exist at lower levels.
Write to them: Fort Scott NHS
P.O. Box 918
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Call: 620-223-0310"