National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
Fort Scott National Historic SitePhotograph of Powder Magazine and Officers Quarters at Fort Scott
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
Fort Scott National Historic Site
For Teachers
Kids performing in a play during a special event.
NPS Photo
Children performing Bleeding Kansas play, one of many options available to school groups visiting the site.

Fort Scott National Historic Site invites you to step back in time to experience life at a frontier army post and to participate in the events of a town immersed in conflict!

Located in downtown Fort Scott, KS, the site consists of twenty historic structures, eleven of which are open to the public. The site also includes a parade ground and five acres of restored tallgrass prairie. There is a self-guided walk through the prairie. Thirty-three historically furnished rooms depict the fort as it might have looked in the 1840s. An audio-visual program and museum exhibits give a comprehensive view of the site’s history from 1842-73. Built to protect the Permanent Indian Frontier, the site also played a role in the opening of the West, Bleeding Kansas, and the Civil War.

We invite you to participate in one of our curriculum based education programs or one of our educational opportunities. This page contains links to information you can use to plan a field trip, download activity packets for use in your curriculum, or arrange for in class presenters.

Officers Quarters that later became the Goodlander Home for Children  

Did You Know?
After Fort Scott was abandoned by the army in 1853, the buildings were sold at public auction, and the fort became the town of Fort Scott. One of the officers' quarters eventually became the Goodlander Home for Children. For about fifty years, orphans and other needy children were cared for here.

Last Updated: January 26, 2007 at 14:36 EST