Fort Scott National Historic Site

Moving along to the east, our next historic stop was Fort Scott National Historic Site. It is in Kansas just a few miles from the Missouri border. The fort was established in 1842 to keep the peace between white settlers and American Indians. Without explaining the whole story here, in 1853 the fort was abandoned and in 1855 it was sold at auction, thus beginning the formation of the town of Fort Scott. As the Civil War broke out, Fort Scott was re-established by renting the buildings back from the private citizens. After the war, the Fort Scott closed again and was returned to private uses. Over the years buildings were modified, fell into disrepair, were torn down and others built.

In the 1950s a group of Fort Scott’s history-minded citizens argued for restoring the fort to its late 1840s appearance. Federal funding was received and archaeological investigations determined the location of missing buildings. Structures not original were torn down, while most historic buildings and features were restored or reconstructed. In 1978 it became a national historic site. Now we all can enjoy the fruits of all of that excellent work. We’ve been to a lot of restored/reconstructed forts around the country and this is another very well done effort. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Quartermaster Storehouse

Officers Quarters