NPS Photos. One is the YCC interns baking bread in the Bake House.
Youth Conservation Corps program
Fort Scott Kan. – Fort Scott National Historic Site is looking for 6 energetic and outgoing teens to participate in our 2023 summer Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program running Monday through Friday from June 12 through August 4. This eight-week program is for young people between the ages of 15 and 18 years of age. Shifts start at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. with a one-hour lunch. Salary is $15.00 per hour.
For more information and to download your application, go to www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/kidsyouth/ycc.htm, or pick up an application at the Fort. Applications received by the park on/or before Friday, May 12, 2023, will be considered first. You may hand deliver your completed application back to the park
No previous experience is required, but a willingness and ability to work in a physically active outdoor program, get along well with others, and maintain a positive attitude are essential for success. YCC participants will be immersed in a curriculum of Historic Preservation, Stewardship, Interpretation/Education, and Leadership. The program culminates with a unit on resume building and navigating USA Jobs, the government’s hiring website.
Activities may include ranger-led programs, Living History programs, being guest speakers, enrollee and staff presentations, assisting field rangers and/or scientists, and trips to other parks, businesses, and throughout the area. Participants will also spend time completing projects which may include fence and bench building; repairing/rehabilitating historic structures; general maintenance work; painting/staining; and exotic plant control.
Fort Scott Kan. – Park managers at Fort Scott National Historic Site, in coordination with Fire Managers at the US Fish and Wildlife Service from Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge, plan to burn the five-acre restored prairie this April 2023. The soonest date will be this Friday, April 7, if conditions are safe and will meet the park’s goals. The specific date and ignition will depend upon weather conditions and the burn may be postponed or canceled if conditions are unfavorable.
“We are looking forward to implementing this prescribed fire (Rx) project with the assistance of our interagency neighbors. Our ability to treat the tallgrass prairie with fire enhances the resilience of the ecosystem, results in a more diverse prairie, and provides a better habitat for migratory birds and pollinators.” said Jill Jaworski, Superintendent, Fort Scott National Historic Site. Like all prescribed fires, the plans for the tallgrass prairie Rx contain a set of parameters which define (among other things) the expected weather and fuel conditions under which the fire can be initiated. Prior to implementing the burn, fire managers will evaluate current conditions and will only ignite the fire if all of the prescribed conditions are within those parameters.
During typical Rx fire activity, daytime smoke disperses to the northwest, up and over the highway. Coordination with the City of Fort Scott, Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas State Highway Patrol, and Kansas Department of Transportation is already underway for this prescribed fire. Smoke impacts or traffic delays on Highway 69 are not expected during the burn.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee this Thursday, March 30th at 8 a.m. hosted by Friends of Fort Scott NHS. It will be held at The Fort Scott National Historic Site, 1 Old Fort Blvd. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.
Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site’s mission is to be a friend of the National Historic Site and their primary purpose is to support the National Historic Site in a partnership through activities that may include fundraising, volunteerism, education, advocacy and research. To do that they need to raise funds and they raise funds through their Flag Subscription Program.
For the last four years, they have put a full-size flag in front of the homes of subscribers for the 5 flag holidays — Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Veteran’s Day. Interested parties can stop by the Chamber to pick up an application or can contact Kelley Collins at 417.684.2484.
Any member business or organization wanting to host Chamber Coffee in 2023 is encouraged to contact the Chamber to save a date by calling 620-223-3566 or emailing [email protected].
Saturday, March 25, 11 am until noon in the theater of the Infantry Barracks, Fort Scott National Historic Site is hosting retired National Park Service Historian Arnold W. Schofield to discuss three notable 19th Century Women from Fort Scott; Ann Shatto, a Slave; MaryAnn Holt Blakely, a Nurse; and Sara Edmonds Seelye, a Soldier, Nurse and Spy during the Civil War.
From November 1-March 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its winter hours of operation. The site exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Park grounds are open daily from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.
Fort Scott Kan. – Fort Scott National Historic Site is hosting its Annual Civil War Encampment, April 15 and 16, 2023. Join us to experience artillery, cavalry, and infantry troops preparing for battle, smell bread baking, participate in discussions about troop and refugee support, and be serenaded by the Vogts Sisters! This well-loved tradition is back and better than ever!
“We are grateful to have the generous support and participation from the Holmes Brigade, Boy Scout Troop 0114, Friends of Fort Scott, Inc., Fort Smith National Historic Site’s Cavalry Troop, and plenty of new and old Fort Scott National Historic Site volunteers alike,” said Superintendent Jill Jaworski. “We encourage everyone to step back in time and smell, hear, see, and experience life at the fort.”
Saturday: join the discussion with author and historian Isaias McCaffrey about the Indian Home Guard, find out about the lives of women during the Civil War period, sit on the Officer’s front porch and learn about sewing and crocheting, be serenaded by the Vogts Sisters, and baking bread in the bakery. Sunday: play authentic lawn games and participate in a discussion about being a Civil War refugee. The weekend is full of fun and games for the whole family straight from the 1800’s!
Encampment Schedule:
SATURDAY, APRIL 15
Interpreters will be at the firing range with historic weapons and doing demonstrations around the site throughout the day.
9 a.m. Raising the Colors with the Boy Scout Troop 0114
9:30 a.m. Infantry Drill and Weapons Demonstration
10 a.m. Cavalry Program
10:30 a.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
11 a.m. Isaias McCaffrey- Indian Home Guard Program
Noon Vogts Sisters Musical Performance
1 p.m. Infantry Drill and Weapons Demonstration
1:30 p.m. Lunette Blair Discussion
2 p.m. Cavalry Program
2:30 p.m. Women in the Army Discussion
3 p.m. Vogts Sisters Musical Performance
4 p.m. Flag Retreat with Troop 0114
5 p.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
8 p.m. Night Sky Program with the Kansas Astronomical Observers
SUNDAY, APRIL 16
Interpreters will be at the firing range with historic weapons and doing demonstrations around the site throughout the day.
9 a.m. Raising the Colors
10 a.m. Guided Tour of the Fort
10:30 a.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
11 a.m. Infantry Dress Parade, Drill, and Weapons Demonstration
Noon Cavalry Program
1 p.m. Guided Tour of the Fort
1:30 p.m. Lunette Blair Discussion
2 p.m. Life as a Refugee Discussion
2:30 p.m. Cavalry Program
3 p.m. Artillery Drill and Weapons Demonstration
3:30 p.m. Infantry Drill and Weapons Demonstration
4 p.m. Flag Retreat
You are always welcome to wear a mask, and please remember to keep safe distances, wash your hands, and have fun!
From April 1-October 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its summer hours of operation. The site exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Park grounds are open daily from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.
Fort Scott National Historic Site (FSNHS) personnel are collaborating to bring stories of indigenous tribe’s histories to Bourbon County.
“We want to help share the stories of tribal partners, a lot of it is the Osage Tribe,” said Carl Brenner, program manager for interpretation and resource management at the Fort. “We are trying to tell the story with the background of everything that was here in Kansas, the Fort is just a part. It’s a bigger story than Kansas and the Fort. It’s the story of the growing pains of a nation.”
The first program, in a series the Fort is bringing to Fort Scott, is this Saturday.
The series of events will be of authors, historians, artisans, and Native American Tribal members, which will continue through the fall of this year.
Colonialism and the Osage in Kansas
FSNHS is hosting historian and author, Dr. Tia Edwards, this Saturday, March 18 from 11 a.m. to noon in the theater of the infantry barracks.
“She will discuss how nineteenth century U.S. Indian policy functioned as settler colonialism, displacing Indigenous nations across the eastern United States, including the Osage who were expelled from their Missouri homelands and confined to a reservation in Kansas,” Brenner said.
Dr. Tia Edwards from the Johnson County Community College website.
Dr. Edwards is a historian and director of the Kansas Studies Institute at Johnson County Community College, according to the press release.
Her book Osage Women and Empire was published by the University Press of Kansas in 2018. She is an officer in the Kansas Association of Historians (KAH) and the Kansas Association for Native American Education (KANAE).
She has collaborated on many projects including recording veterans’ oral histories, preserving the Quindaro ruins in Kansas City, KS and rematriating a sacred boulder in Lawrence to the Kaw Nation.
Indigenous Histories Series
The Fort is collaborating with local entities to bring the histories of indigenous peoples to Fort Scott. The Lowell Milken Center, Hedgehog INK bookstore and Fort Scott Community College is collaborating with the Fort for this series.
Speakers
The Lowell Milken Center will have Billy Mills, an Oglala Souix, on April 12. Mills was a 1964 gold medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics, who inspired America with his win.
On April 15, Isaias Mc Caffrey, author of Last Stand at Rebel Creek: The Osage as Union Allies in Civil War Kansas will be at the Fort.
Isaias McCaffery, taken from the Humanities Kansas website.
McCaffery is a professor of history at Independence Community College. His presentation explores the Osage tribe’s contributions to the Union Army cause in Kansas during the Civil War.
Ballet
Wahzhazhe, the name the Osage people call themselves, will perform a contemporary ballet that tells their history from pre-contact years to present day, according to https://www.osageballet.com/. This event will be July 21-22 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College.
Photo from the Wahzhazhe website.
“From the hand-painted scenery, to the original score , which features the use of traditional drums, to the exquisitely detailed costumes, the world of the Osage comes to life in vivid color, a mesmerizing blend of historical accuracy and raw emotional symbolism,” according to its website.
In addition to the ballet, there will be an exhibit of historic photos of the Osage people.
This event is partially funded by Humanities Kansas. Donations for this project are welcome to the Friends of the Fort Scott National Historic Site.
Fort Scott National Historic Site: Part of the National Park System.
The FSNHS exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.during the winter months, which ends March 31. Park grounds are open daily from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset.
To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.
Fort Scott Kan. – Monday, February 20, 2023, Fort Scott National Historic Site and Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge are presenting the 30th annual national Junior Duck Stamp art contest. Art programs will run from 11am to 12:30 and 2 pm to 3:30 pm, and all students in kindergarten through grade twelve are encouraged to participate in the art and conservation message contest. Participants need to check in at the park’s Visitor Center at before 11 am or 2 pm for directions.
During the program participants will learn more about types of waterfowl and also what the judges look for in the artwork. Participants will create original artwork using watercolors, crayon, or pencil. Because students express themselves best in different formats, the conservation message contest gives them an opportunity to use the written word to express their knowledge. Submissions of your Junior Duck Stamp entry may be made on this day at the park or to the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge in Pleasanton for Kansas entries. Entry forms will be available, and all entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2023.
In 2021, Margaret McMullen, an 18-year-old from Kansas, took top honors in the Service’s National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest with her acrylic rendition of a pair of Hooded Mergansers. Madison Grimm, a 15-year-old from South Dakota, wins the 2022 National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest with a Green-winged Teal
The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program began in 1989 as an extension of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the Duck Stamp. The first national Junior Duck Stamp art contest was held in 1993. The stamp encourages students to explore their natural world, participate in outdoor recreation activities, and learn wildlife management principles.
Fort Scott Kan. – Fort Scott National Historic Site will host free guided bird walks hourly from 9am through 3 pm, Friday, February 17, through Sunday, February 19, for the 26th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).
A National Park Service Ranger will lead easy birdwatching walks starting from the Visitor Center. Some of the “walks” will be completely durable surfaces and accessible. Rangers and participants will record all bird sightings and upload the data to the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). This walk is for birders of all skill levels and you don’t have to stay for the entire program to make a difference. Birders are encouraged to bring binoculars and layered clothing.
Since 1998, “The Backyard Bird Count has been an opportunity for every citizen to contribute to the understanding of wild birds, and their threats,” said Jill Jaworski, Superintendent, Fort Scott National Historic Site. “We encourage everyone to join us for this and future bird walks and programs.” Watch for scheduled bird walks in the park throughout the year on Facebook or at the Fort Scott NHS website www.nps.gov/fosc.
For more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count, contact Ranger Bristol at Fort Scott National Historic Site by calling 620-223-0310.
Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. An estimated 385,000 people participated during the 2022 GBBC. They reported more than 7,000 species from 192 countries. The results of these bird counts are available at www.birdcount.org/2022-final-results.
The post hospital is lit up durng the 2021 tour. NPS Photo: Carl Brenner
The Fort Scott National Historic Site 41st Annual Candlelight Tour is completely sold out.
The tour is Dec. 2nd and 3rd.
“This year… we are commemorating several important milestones of our nation’s history,” Carl Brenner, FSNHS Program Manager for Interpretation and Resource Management, said. “Each milestone highlights a different portion of the Fort’s history as well.”
NPS: Photo credit-Carl Brenner
Tickets went on sale on November 1 and sold out on November 27.
Fort Scott High School drama students and other volunteers will portray different scenes, vignettes, during the evening in which ticket purchasers will stroll the promenade on the grounds of the fort.
The vignettes, in order, are:
The Bicentennial of the Santa Fe Trail which is set in 1843. The army is preparing to go out on campaign along the trail. In this vignette: Luke Leighsing (Santa Fe Trader), Josh Sherwood (Lieutenant), Tracy Dancer (Sergeant), Frankie Ruggerro (Corporal), Jericho Jones (Private).
175th Anniversary of the Mexican American War, which is set in 1847, celebrates the safe return of soldiers from the war. In this vignette: Kiara Thompson (Mrs. Curtis), Sylvia Stapleton (Miss Jones), Emma Guns (Mrs. Simpson), Cooper George (Corporal Clark), Austin Stapleton (Private Smith), Matt Wells (Musician).
165th year of Bleeding Kansas, which is set in 1857, actors prepare for the Grand Ball celebrating the opening of the Fort Scott Hotel. In this vignette: Diane Bernheimer (Elizabeth Wilson), Jan Elder (Eliza Campbell), Wayne Young (Mr. Wilson).
160th year of Civil War Ladies Union Aid Society-Emancipation Proclamation, which is set in 1862, where the women are comforting the solders. In this vignette: Dee Young (Mrs. Weatherwax), Cassie Edson (Mrs. Mary Martin), Emily Endicott (Mrs. Laura Phillips – head of the Christmas committee), Regen Wells (Miss Sarah– Christmas committee member), Karen Primeaux (Mrs. Smith), Ronda Hassig (Mrs. Redfield)
150th year of Post of Southeast Kansas,1872, the scene is a railroad agent in a squabble with landowners: Casey Gomez (Walter ), Katie Wells (Elizabeth), Ivy Bailey (Charlie), Steve Powell (John)
Additional High School drama students helping in other areas are: Ayla Roberts, Tobi Larrabee, Mykeel Lewis, Tuesday Glessner, Alexis Tourtillot, Lily Brown, and Chris Newman.
Fort Scott National Historic Site is located at 1 Old Fort Blvd. Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. To find out more, or become involved, please call 620-223-0310 or email [email protected]. Other activities, events, and a more in-depth history may be found at www.nps.gov/fosc.
Jill Jaworski, selected as the new superintendent of Fort Scott National Historic Site, has moved to Fort Scott this month.
Her college education gave her a lead into the National Park Service.
Jarworski earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education with emphasis on Outdoor Education and Recreation from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
“My original position (with NPS) was at Jewel Cave National Monument working as an Interpretive Park Ranger/Cave Guide for an internship for college,” she said. “That led to a seasonal position at the same park the following summer after I graduated college.”
She worked for two seasons at Jewel Cave National Monument and as a General Park Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park.
“Then September 11th occurred, and I transitioned to a career as a Law Enforcement Park Ranger for the next 21 ½ years before accepting the Superintendent position at Fort Scott National Historic Site,” she said.
At Fort Scott, Jaworski is returning to her mid-western roots.
“I was born in a very small, rural town in Nebraska and raised in Omaha where my parents and two of my siblings still live,” she said. “I also have a sister and her family who reside in Leawood, KS. The majority of my ancestors who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1800s were farmers in Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, and Ohio.”
Extensive Experience
Jaworski has over 20 years of experience in NPS assignments including interpretation, emergency services, and law enforcement, according to a NPS press release.
Prior to Fort Scott, Jarworski served as the acting superintendent at Appomattox Court House National Military Park and Booker T. Washington National Monument.
As Chief Park Ranger, she has extensive experience in managing special park uses, events, permitting, and emergency response. At Cape Lookout National Seashore, she has served as a park ranger at Cumberland Island National Seashore, Castillo De San Marcos National Monument/Fort Matanzas National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, White Sands National Monument, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Mount Rainier National Park.
Jaworski’s background in complex park operations including cultural resource management and resource protection and her strong collaboration and team building skills will be an asset to Fort Scott, according to a press release from NPS.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, walking her dog, researching genealogy, and playing pickleball and tennis.
Carl Brenner remains the Supervisory Park Ranger for Interpretation and Resources, after serving as interim superintendent.
The Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College returns to full public accessibility this week upon the completion of repairs to its air-conditioning unit; executive director Kirk Sharp has announced.
The museum, devoted to Fort Scott native Parks, an esteemed photographer, writer, composer and filmmaker, remains open until Dec. 15 when the campus closes for Christmas break. The museum, now with all collections back on display, reopens Jan. 5.
Sharp cited “supply-chain issues” as the cause for the delayed repairs.
“We want to thank everyone for their support and patience,” he said. “We had a difficult time dealing with supply-chain issues that delayed the arrival of the part (air compressor) we needed.”
To schedule a visit or tour call (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or email [email protected]
Friends of the Fort Scott National Historic Site Announces Grant
from the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area
The Friends of the Fort Scott National Historic Site, Inc. have received a discussion grant for $2,500 from the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. The grant will fund the project “Sharing Stories.” The monies will pay for a community read of four books about Native Americans and author visits from Congresswoman Sharice Davids, David Grann, Steve Sheinkin, and Angeline Boulley. These community reads are just a few of the upcoming activities building up to the Wahzhazhe Osage Ballet.
Next July, 2023, the Friends of the Fort and the Fort Scott National Historic Site will bring the Wahzhazhe Ballet to perform in Fort Scott!
Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) tells the stories and builds awareness of our region’s past, present, and future: the Kansas-Missouri border war, the Civil War, the settlement of the western frontier and rural America, and the enduring struggle for freedom. FFNHA supports and promotes approximately 323 willing partners, including historic sites, museums, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural-heritage tourism destinations in 41 counties across the Kansas-Missouri border.
The Friends of the Fort Scott National Historic Site, Inc.was formed in 2009 to work in cooperation with Fort Scott National Historic Site. Members primary purpose is to support, advocate, and promote the importance of the Fort and its history through education, fundraising, volunteerism, and preservation.
