Evening Tragedy Tour
"Oh this war, how many broken hearts has it caused" Thus were the words of Emma Morley, a Civil War nurse at Fort Scott in 1864. She wrote these words in a journal while remarking on the death of a young Union soldier who died after being wounded at the battle of Mine Creek. On Saturday, June 25 at Fort Scott National Historic Site, the public is invited to attend an evening tour featuring tragedies of Fort Scott history. There is no charge for the tour, but those who plan to attend are requested to sign up in advance by calling 620-223-0310. The tour will begin at 6:30 p.m. During the tour, reenactors will create five different scenes in which soldiers or citizens of Fort Scott met violent deaths. Scenes will include a deserter who was shot by a firing squad (1863), a drunken soldier who killed a corporal in a fight over a dog, (1846), and the accidental shooting death of an officer (1845). At each scene, visitors will hear voices from the past. Some of these incidents involve mysteries that have never been fully explained. This will be just the first in a series of evening tours planned for this summer. Other evening tours featuring different topics will be offered on July 23, August 20, and September 24 of this year. Fort Scott National Historic Site is open daily from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Entrance to the site is free of charge. |
Did You Know?
Politics made strange bedfellows. John Little, a proslavery man, was shot to death at his father's store, by free state men who raided Fort Scott in December 1858. A friend, George Crawford, a free state man, was staying with Little that night. Crawford had once been the target of proslavery men.