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Fort Scott National Historic Site
4th of July Weekend Activities
Blue and Gray Band

NPS Photo

Blue and Gray Brass Brigade Band

Volunteers and staff of Fort Scott National Historic Site invite you to come and join us in celebration of our nation's independence for an Old Fashioned Military Holiday. Cannon firing at dusk, patriotic music, children's games, and free ice cream are just a few of the activities offered Saturday through Monday, July 2-4.  

As you tour the historic fort, try your hand at washing clothes with the post laundress and barter with the post sutler. Saturday afternoon, come and enjoy an outdoor concert provided by the Blue and Gray Brass Brigade Band beginning at 1:30 p.m. At 2:15 p.m., the band will take an intermission break and join us in a cup of homemade ice cream provided by the Friends of Fort Scott NHS, Inc. During the interlude, Ranger Robert Thomas will deliver a stirring patriotic speech honoring the 30 states in the Union in 1848. 

Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m., a special cannon firing program will pay honor to our nation's freedom. In November of 1845, Fort Scott received a shipment of two artillery pieces but no artillerymen to fire the guns. Learn more about who fired these guns and witness the power of cannons during a ceremonial firing at dusk.

"Highlights in History", on Sunday, July 3, and Monday, July 4, features talks that interpret Fort Scott's role in some of the most pivotal events in American history. Flash Flood will focus on the events of the 1840s and how they opened up a flood of westward expansion that doubled the size of our country in less than a decade. Ballots and Bullets, a program about Fort Scott's history in the 1850s, will explain how the issues of "Bleeding Kansas" affected all levels of government. Bullpup is a program that explores the strategic importance of the Mountain Howitzer in the Trans-Mississippi theatre during the Civil War. Letters from the Frontier will demonstrate how officer's wives brought Eastern sophistication to the frontier through flower pressing and letter writing. 

A full schedule of activities and talks for each day is listed below: 

SATURDAY, JULY 2

  • 10:00 a.m. - "Plug, Port, and Peaches" - Post Sutler Talk
  • 11:00 a.m. - Guided Tour
  • 12:00 noon - "Let the Games Begin" - Historic Children's Games 
  • 1:30 p.m. - "Concert at the Park" - Blue and Gray Brass Brigade Band 
  • 2:15 p.m. - Patriotic Speech 
  • 3:00 p.m. - "Concert at the Park" - Blue and Gray Brass Brigade Band  
  • 4:30 p.m. - Flag Retreat 

SPECIAL SATURDAY EVENING PROGRAM 

  • 8:30 p.m. - Cannon Firing at Sunset 

SUNDAY, JULY 3

  • 10:00 a.m. - Bullpup
  • 11:00 a.m. - Guided Tour
  • 12:00 noon - Letters from the Frontier 
  • 1:00 p.m. - Guided Tour 
  • 2:00 p.m. - Artillery Demo 
  • 3:00 p.m. - Ballots and Bullets 
  • 4:00 p.m. - Flag Retreat 

MONDAY, JULY 4

  • 10:00 a.m. - Letters from the Frontier
  • 11:00 a.m. - Guided Tour
  • 12:00 noon - Ballots and Bullets 
  • 1:00 p.m. - Guided Tour 
  • 2:00 p.m. - Patriotic Speech and 30 Gun Salute 
  • 3:00 p.m. - Flash Flood 
  • 4:00 p.m. - Flag Retreat  

Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call the site at 620-223-0310

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The hosptial/visitor center is the best example of French Colonial architecture on site. Note all of the elements.

Did You Know?
Fort Scott uses three styles of architecture: French Colonial, Greek Revival, and vernacular. The most dominant is French Colonial; characterized by wide porches, stairways and a broken roofline. Most living quarters are on the second floor to avoid bad air believed to exist at lower levels.
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Last Updated: June 23, 2011 at 15:08 MST