NPS Photo
Reenactor portraying Sgt Hamilton who was in charge of early construction at Fort Scott.
Labor Day constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our great country. This weekend, Fort Scott National Historic Site will offer educational programs dedicated to Fort Scott soldiers and civilians of the mid-19th century who contributed to a young and growing nation. Come Saturday, September 3, and see soldiers, civilians and ladies of the 1840s Old Army Era. Visit with the post surgeon. Come view laundresses hard at work washing and mending dirty laundry. Be careful, they may try to talk you in to using the washboard! Smell the aroma of freshly baked bread from the fort's bake house and watch as soldiers demonstrate cannon firing. Enjoy a "Victorian Fashion Show" featuring costumes worn for various recreational and military activities. Living history activities and demonstrations will be ongoing throughout the day.
"Highlights in History" featuring programs focusing on Fort Scott's role in the opening of the west, Bleeding Kansas, and the Civil War, will be offered Sunday, September 4, and Monday, September 5. Take part in the activity, "The Crack Post of the Frontier," a guided tour focused on the fort's construction. During this tour, you will be introduced to the challenges the U.S, Army at Fort Scott faced in building a frontier post. Democracy Run Wild, a program about Fort Scott's history in the 1850s, will focus on how the issues of Bleeding Kansas affected all levels of government. In One Grand Military Camp, a ranger will describe how newspapers reported military and civilian activity at Fort Scott during the Civil War.
The schedule of activities is listed below:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
10:00 a.m. - Post Laundress Talk
11:00 a.m. - Artillery Demo
1:00 p.m. - Guided Tour
2:00 p.m. - Victorian Fashion Show
3:00 p.m. - Bake-House Talk
4:00 p.m. - Flag Retreat
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
10:00 a.m. - Democracy Run Wild
11:00 a.m. - Artillery Demo
1:00 p.m. - "The Crack Post of the Frontier" - Guided Tour
3:00 p.m. - One Grand Military Camp
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
10:00 a.m. - Democracy Run Wild
11:00 a.m. - Artillery Demo
1:00 p.m. - "The Crack Post of the Frontier" - Guided Tour
3:00 p.m. - One Grand Military Camp
Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park System, is open daily from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Entrance to the site is free of charge.
