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MAP and TEXT: Fort Scott Today
Transcript
DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this map of Fort Scott National Historic Site is to orient visitors to this 19th Century frontier military post as it exists today. This map is an artist’s rendering of a bird’s-eye view of the fort with the top of the map being north. The fort buildings that are accessible to the public are labeled on the map. Full descriptions of each building can be found in the related text. We recommend starting your visit at the Visitor Center, which is directly north of the main parking area. As you step up from the parking lot, you will encounter a brick walkway. The center path will lead to the front entrance of the Visitor Center. If you stay to the right or left on the brick walkway, you will meet sidewalks that will take you around the building to the Parade Ground and the back entrance of the Visitor Center. From the back door, you have three available options to take, left, forward and right. Take the left and right paths to follow the perimeter of the Parade Ground, which is in the shape of a square. Viewing the map as a clock, the large flag pole sits at the center and the Visitor Center is at six o'clock. Moving around the clock to the left, you will first come to the Infantry Barracks at seven o’clock. The sidewalk then makes a hard right, turning north, following the stables on your left side. Continuing north, you will approach the entrance to the Dragoon Stables at nine o’clock. Turn left to follow the sidewalk to the north-facing entrance of the stables. This sidewalk dead ends in front of the stable entrance. Return to the main sidewalk and turn left, heading north, and you will reach the Dragoon Barracks on your left. Just past this building, you will approach the sidewalk on the right that leads to Officers' Row. If you continue heading north, past Officers' Row, you will find the Post Headquarters to your left. Beyond this building, the sidewalk intersects with another path that runs east to west behind the Officers' Quarters. Lining this path are multiple stone buildings used for storage, and the Carriage House. There is also a tallgrass prairie, with a one-quarter mile walking trail that starts just past the Carriage House and joins back up with the path a little ways further down. Returning to the path that leads in front of the Officers' Quarters, there are three steps up to the two buildings. Officers' Quarters No. 1 is the first building on the left. There are staircases on either side of the building, with the first roped off for staff only. Adjacent to this building is Officers' Quarters No. 2. The first set of stairs is open to the public. Moving past the Officers' Quarters, you are now at 12 o’clock on the map. At this point, you can continue around the Parade Ground, or take a sidewalk that will lead you back to the Visitor Center. Taking the path back to the Visitor Center, which is a sharp right turn headed south, you will encounter the Well Canopy with the sidewalk encircling the well. Beyond, at the center of the Parade Ground, is the flagpole. Keep heading toward the Visitor Center at 6 o’clock, and you will come to the Powder Magazine. The sidewalk encircles the building. Past the Powder Magazine, you meet up with the entrance to the Visitor Center and the main sidewalk that will can take you to the left or to the right. Facing north again, turn right from the Visitor Center, heading toward five o'clock, and the sidewalk will take you to the Guard House at the bottom right of the map. There are two entrances to the building on your right. Straight past the Guard House, the sidewalk becomes a brick path down to the picnic area and RV/bus parking lot. You can also make a hard left here, and head north again. This sidewalk continues around the Parade Ground, which is on your left and will lead to the other Infantry Barracks, with access to restrooms, at three o'clock. The sidewalk makes a hard turn to the right after the Infantry Barracks. At this point, you can continue to the right toward the Quartermaster Storehouse, or make a 180 degree turn to hook back to the left to return to the path leading to the Officers' Quarters. If you continue to the Quartermaster Storehouse, there is a left turn that connects you to the sidewalk that makes a complete loop around the building. There are entrances both the east and west side of the building. If you come out of the building on the east side, and make a right, the sidewalk will take you back toward the Parade Ground. If you turn left, the sidewalk connects to the path that runs behind the Officers' Quarters. At the point where those two paths meet, you can turn right and the Bakehouse will be on your left a short ways down. The edge of the park is just beyond this building, where the path turns into an access road. If you turn left, you will head along the back path, passing another stone building used for storage. Eventually, you'll pass the entrance to the tallgrass prairie trail and reconnect with the main sidewalk headed south past the Post Headquarters, toward the Parade Ground. Just beyond this turn, the access road continues as a gravel path along the western edge of the park. Returning to the Infantry Barracks where a bathroom is located, you can make an 180 degree hook turn on the path after the building, turning away from the Quartermaster Storehouse and placing you back on the path that leads to the Officers' Quarters. Along the path is the remnants of one of the original Officers' Quarters, now used for storage. Beyond this structure, on your left, will be the path that leads you through the Parade Ground, back to the Visitor Center. RELATED TEXT: Follow this map for a close look at the fort today. Open doors and exhibit signs indicate displays. Inquire about accessibility at the visitor center. Buildings open to the public are briefly described below. Hospital (1843): Surgeons treated sick and wounded soldiers here during the 1840s and in the Civil War. It now houses a visitor center and bookstore. An upstairs ward is refurnished. Restoration Infantry Barracks (1844): Home to infantry soldiers, this became the Western Hotel in the 1850s, a proslavery headquarters. The present building contains a museum and a film. Reconstruction Dragoon Stables (1843): Eighty horses with their feed, tack, and hay could be sheltered here. Later it served as a Civil War storehouse for up to a million rations. Reconstruction Dragoon Barracks (1844): Dragoon soldiers slept on the second floor and ate in the mess hall on the first floor. During Bleeding Kansas, it housed a land office and courtroom. Reconstruction Post Headquarters (1848): In this building’s offices, the fort’s commander oversaw post operations and convened courts martial. In 1858, a man was killed here while it operated as a general store. Reconstruction Officers’ Quarters No. 1 (1844): These quarters contained two bedrooms, a dining room, parlor, and kitchen for an officer’s family. Guests stayed here in the 1850s after it became the Fort Scott Hotel. Restoration Officers’ Quarters No. 2 (1845): Originally a comfortable home for officers and their families, this duplex became a private residence for Hiero Wilson, a town father and former post sutler (storekeeper). Restoration Quartermaster Storehouse (1843): This storehouse fueled the military with food and other supplies needed to put a fighting army into the field. It played a similar role during the Civil War. Restoration Bake House (1848): Bread was a staple of the soldier’s diet. Enlisted men took turns at baking the daily ration of bread in ovens located inside. Restoration Guardhouse (1848): This contained rooms for guards and the officer of the day along with cells for prisoners. Part of Civil War hospital complex and later became the city jail. Reconstruction Powder Magazine (1844): An adjacent lightning rod and thick walls helped provide safe storage to the fort’s explosives—powder, cartridges, fuses, and primers. Also used by the Union Army (1863). Reconstruction
Description
An audio description of the Fort Scott Today section of Fort Scott's Unigrid brochure.
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