Promises made and broken! A town attacked at dawn! Thousands made homeless by war! Soldiers fighting settlers! Each of these stories is a link in the chain of events that encircled Fort Scott from 1842-73. All of the site?s 20 historic structures, its parade ground, and its five acres of restored tallgrass prairie bear witness to this era when the United States was forged from a young divided republic into a united and powerful transcontinental nation. <P> <P>

Fort Scott National Historic Site consists of 20 historic structures, a parade ground and five acres of restored tallgrass prairie. A short walking trail takes you through a portion of the prairie.

The site is open daily for self-guided tours. An audio-visual program orients visitors to the history of the site. Guided tours are offered daily at 1:00 p.m. during the summer. Guided tours at other times of year are available for groups by advance arrangement. During the spring, middle school and elementary education programs are presented. The site also hosts three special events per year and participates in a fourth in conjunction with the community. Occasionally, additional events are added each year.

A minimum of one hour is recommended to view the 12-minute audio-visual program and to walk through the buildings. Three to four hours are required to read all the exhibits and to participate in the interpretive activities offered during the summer. Activities on special event weekends go throughout the day.