Fort Scott National Historic Site

By /
Picture of the post hospital with the parade ground and trees in the background.
Picture of the Post Hospital
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.
Four soldiers on horseback in a line riding through prairie grass.
Soldiers on horseback patrol the prairie.
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 1840s
Picture of rows of flags across the parade ground with trees in the background.
Image of flags from the Symbols of Sacrifice event.
6 reenactors dressed in white are firing a 6lbs field cannon.
Artillery Demonstration
Photos: National Park Service

About Fort Scott National Historic Site

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.

Plan a Visit

NPS DesignationNational Historic Site
Park State / Territory MembershipKansas
Current Alerts0
Visitor Centers1
Campgrounds0
Things To Do3

Core visitor information on this page is sourced from the National Park Service. NPD proximity sections use NPS reference coordinates and straight-line distance. Local source bundle updated Sep 27, 2026. View the official NPS page.

Weather & Conditions

Spring and autumn are pleasant with mild temperatures. Summers are generally hot and humid, while winters are mild with periods of cold weather, snowfall, and ice storms. Thunderstorms, some severe, are common throughout the spring and summer. During periods of severe weather, visitors should seek shelter, as the area is…

NPS Reference Location

Park state / territory membership: Kansas. This map uses the National Park Service reference coordinate. It may represent an administrative or reference point rather than a park entrance, trailhead, visitor center, or the nearest access point. Use the official NPS directions below when planning travel.

Operating Hours

Park Visitor Center and historic building hours listed under 'Visitor Centers.' Visitors may walk the park grounds, walkways, and parking lot from ½ hour before sunrise until ½ hour after sunset, except during periods of snow, ice, or other inclement weather conditions that make the grounds unsafe.

FridaySunrise to Sunset
MondaySunrise to Sunset
SaturdaySunrise to Sunset
SundaySunrise to Sunset
ThursdaySunrise to Sunset
TuesdaySunrise to Sunset
WednesdaySunrise to Sunset

Activities

Guided ToursLiving HistoryHistoric Weapons DemonstrationJunior Ranger ProgramPark FilmMuseum ExhibitsShoppingBookstore and Park Store

Getting There

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. Signs directing visitors to Fort Scott are posted on Highway 69 for visitors coming from the north and the south and on Highway 54 for visitors coming from the east and the west.

View Official Directions

Contact & Address

The NPS-listed address may be an administrative office, visitor center, mailing/contact location, or other park facility rather than a park entrance.

NPS-Listed Address1 Old Fort Blvd., Fort Scott, KS, 66701
Phone6202230310
Emailfosc_interpretation@nps.gov

Topics & Themes

African American HeritageFortsIncarcerationJails and PrisonsMedicineHospitalMilitaryInfantry and MilitiaArtilleryCavalryIndigenous and Native WarriorNative American HeritageSchools and EducationTransportationTrains and RailroadsWars and Conflicts

Things To Do

Healthy Parks, Healthy People

Healthy Parks, Healthy People

Fort Scott encourages outdoor exercise to improve health. Get out and walk to help reduce stress, improve brain function, and…

Discovering Life at Fort Scott

Discovering Life at Fort Scott

Living History Programs

Virtual 360 Fort Scott Tour

Virtual 360 Fort Scott Tour

Take a tour of Fort Scott through a series of 360 degree panoramic views of the buildings, furnished rooms and…

Visitor Centers

Visitor Center

The Visitor Center for the site is located on the ground floor of the post hospital which is located at the entrance to the site…

Nearby National Park Service Sites

These sites are ordered by straight-line distance between NPS reference coordinates. This is useful for comparison, but it is not road mileage. Trails, parkways, rivers, and distributed units may extend far from their reference point.