Fort Scott National Historic Site

Located in southeastern Kansas near the Missouri border, Fort Scott National Historic Site is the most complete example of a US Army fort from the Permanent Indian Frontier. The site was established on October 18, 1978 to preserve and interpret pivotal periods in US history. Active from 1842 to 1853, and reactivated in 1861 at the start of the Civil War, the fort played a key role in the US Army’s opening of the West—Manifest Destiny. This role, and the continued westward expansion of white settlements, hastened the demise of the Permanent Indian Frontier, which the fort was originally established to protect.  In the late 1850s, pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions moved to Kansas, including Fort Scott. Violence and unrest between these two groups became known as Bleeding Kansas—the civil strife over slavery in the Kansas Territory that riveted the nation and helped ignite the Civil War. Because of this unique history, the park is an important place to interpret the country’s policies in the 1840s and 1850s—park visitors can learn more about the buildings, grounds, and history preserved there for more than 150 years. The story of the military garrison and the civilian town of Fort Scott, from frontier patrols to agents of westward expansion, is the story of the United States—a story of promises made and broken, dreams shared and shattered, and the enduring struggle for the freedom of all people.