Fort Scott was built in 1842 and named for General Winfield Scott, who was the commander of all U.S. armies in the 1840s. Scott was less than amused, stating that he hadn't been consulted and didn't want the honor.
 
In the fort's short 31 years of on-and-off military use, it witnessed the Mexican War, the settling of the western plains, wars with the Indians, Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War, the rise of the Buffalo Soldiers and the expansion of the railroads into a national network. The fort was officially closed in 1853 and the buildings sold off at public auction two years later (and became the nucleus of the town of Fort Scott), but troops returned a couple of times during the Bleeding Kansas episode. During the Civil War the fort was re-occupied and expanded, becoming the strongest Union fortress south of Fort Leavenworth. It was again used during the railroad expansion years of the late 1860s and early 1870s.
 
Located just four miles from the Kansas-Missouri border, Fort Scott found itself in the middle of Bleeding Kansas in the years leading up to the Civil War. Congress determined that Kansas and Nebraska would decide for themselves if they were going to enter the Union as slave or non-slave states. It was assumed that Nebraska would enter as a non-slave state and pro-slavery people would settle in Kansas and make it a slave state, thereby holding the political balance between pro-slavery and free states. Things didn't work out that way. Both forces settled in Kansas in droves and began having violent clashes. As evidence of the duality of the settlers, there existed at one point two major hotels across the street from each other in the town of Fort Scott. The former officers' quarters of the old fort was opened as the Fort Scott (or Free State) Hotel. Across the parade grounds was the old infantry barracks which became the Western (or Pro-Slavery) Hotel. In 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state.
 
Today, the old fort is maintained by the National Park Service as a national historic site. It contains 20 historic structures, the old parade ground and five acres of restored tallgrass prairie. The park service recommends a minimum of one hour to tour the site and view their 12-minute audio/video presentation. A minimum of three-to-four hours is recommended if you want to read all of the exhibits and participate in the interpretive activities that take place in the summer. In addition, on select weekends special events such as garrison or Civil War reenactments and children's learning programs are presented.
 
Hours: 8:00 a.m.? 5:00 p.m. April-October 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. from November-March Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day
 
Photo Credit: The main photo for his listing is a hospital building at the fort and was courtesy of the National Park Service: Fort Scott National Historic Site.
 
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Here are some items that might enhance your visit to this historic site