• Fort Parade Ground and Officers Quarters as seen from Guardhouse

    Fort Scott

    National Historic Site Kansas

Your Day in Court

Land office squabbles often led to court cases.

Scene representing U.S. land office. Squabbles over land often led to court cases

NPS Photo

This program will be a recreation of a trial that actually took place at Fort Scott in early 1858 regarding a land squabble. Disputes over land were common especially between pro and antislavery settlers. In this program, students take the roles of judge, attorneys, witnesses, and jurors as they try the case of Southwood vs. Stone.

 

Download Program Resources



Pre Visit Instructions



Theme, Goals, and Objectives



The script is not posted online, because students who are jurors should not see the script before hand.

Did You Know?

Barrels in the quartermaster storehouse at Fort Scott

All supplies had to be strictly accounted for at Fort Scott. Upon discovery of 31 barrels of pork that had turned "soft and rusty", Lt. George Wallace, post quartermaster, recommended selling it to the Indians at $4.00 a barrel rather than disposing of it.