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Category Archives: Fort Scott
Waypoint Coins Hide and Seek is August 2
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A special thank you to our Chamber Champion members.. |
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Chamber Coffee is Today at Twister Trailer at 8 a.m.
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AUTHENTIC REPRODUCTION SABER DRAWING TO BENEFIT FORT SCOTT NHS
If you are from Southeast Kansas, chances are you have visited Fort Scott National Historic Site and learned about the elite fighting force, known as the Dragoons. One of the essential tools in the Dragoon’s arsenal was the saber. Measuring 39 inches long and weighing nearly 2 pounds, Dragoons were trained to use them to fight on foot as well as on horseback.
You may become the proud owner of one of these impressive historic weapons, as the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site are offering chances to win an authentic reproduction of a 1833 Dragoon saber. Tickets are $10 each or $25 for 3 tickets. Funds raised will be used to benefit programs and operations at Fort Scott National Historic Site.
Chances will be sold throughout the summer at the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce during their operating hours or from any Friends of FSNHS board member. The drawing will take place on September 8, 2025, at the Friends of FSNHS annual meeting. Don’t miss this opportunity to own a piece of history!
The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site is a non-profit organization established in partnership with the National Park Service to support and promote the preservation and interpretation of FSNHS.
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Trivia Fundraiser is Sept. 6
Fort Scott Awarded $1.5 Million for Hwy. 54 Improvements
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Wayman Chapel AME Church Commemorative Park to Receive Display Signs Installation
The Gordon Parks Museum is pleased to announce the installation of
informational display signs and a welcome sign at the Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME)
Church Commemorative Park, located at 301 S. Lowman Street in Fort Scott.
Installation is scheduled for Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
“They are hoping to arrive mid-morning around 10:30 am or so,” said the museum director, Kirk Sharp. “The sign vendor is Lark Label, in Wichita, KS.”
AME Church
Gordon Parks, 1950.
Photo Courtesy of and Copyright by The Gordon Parks Foundation. Submitted photo.
This historic site, once home to the oldest Black church in Fort Scott. The property land of the Wayman Chapel
AME Church, was donated to the Gordon Parks Museum by Fort Scott resident Josh Jones, through the Fort
Scott Community College Foundation. The church was regularly attended by Gordon Parks and his family and
was even featured in a scene from Parks’ acclaimed film, The Learning Tree.
The property has since been transformed into a commemorative, low-maintenance park honoring the legacy of
the church.
The new display signage includes four large storyboard panels (76” x 27”) featuring photos,
graphics, and text that highlight the church’s rich history and its vital role in the local Black community. These
panels will be installed on a concrete slab beneath an already completed pergola structure (12’ x 20’). In
addition, a large 4’ x 3’ welcome sign will greet visitors at the park entrance.
“We are very excited about this park, which pays tribute to the historic Wayman Chapel AME Church,
established in 1866 by the grandparents of Professor E. J. Hawkins,” said Gordon Parks Museum Executive
Director Kirk Sharp. “We are incredibly grateful to all of the sponsors who helped make this commemorative
park a reality, especially Josh Jones and the Foundation. This Park ensures that this important chapter of Fort
Scott’s history continues to be honored and shared. It also sits along our Learning Tree Film Sign Trail, adding
even more depth to its significance
“The commemorative project has been made possible with generous support from: Bourbon County Historical
Association, City of Fort Scott, Fort Scott Area Community Foundation, Fort Scott Community College
Foundation, The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team’s Local Health Equity Action Team (LHEAT), Josh
Jones, Rick Mayhew, My One Stop, Marbery Concrete, Inc., and Kansas Tourism.
Wayman Chapel AME Church, originally established in 1866, moved to its final location at the corner of Third
and Lowman in 1885. For more than 115 years, it served as a spiritual and cultural hub for Fort Scott’s Black
community. Due to declining membership and unsafe building conditions, the church was eventually
condemned and razed in the early 2000s.
Today, its legacy lives on. A stained-glass window and two original
pews from the church are on permanent exhibit at the Gordon Parks Museum.
The AME church was Fort Scott’s first and oldest black church with Shiloh Baptist being the second.
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Volunteers Needed To Get The Old Fort Genealogy Society Reopened
For those interested in learning more about their family history in Bourbon County, the Old Fort Genealogy Society is a valuable resource to the community.
“Many people don’t know what we have to offer,” said Susan Karleskint, president of the society. ” We have tons of Bourbon County history….birth records, death records, cemeteries, pictures.”
“We provide help to people who are researching their families in Bourbon County,” she said. “In addition, we have moved beyond genealogical to historical.”
The society is non-profit.
“We don’t charge, but do ask for a donation, should they want to give one,” she said.
In early 2025, the society’s board began searching for an alternative location. The location they were at, in the basement of Memorial Hall, was too small for all the records they housed, and the cost of renovating to a different part of that building was too high.
They found a much larger site for their services at 2801 S. Horton, in the Professional Building, north of the old Mercy Hospital.
In the spring, they began the move to that building, which has been vacant for several years.
“We have encountered some ‘hiccups’ along the way that have slowed our progress,” Karleskint said.
“The space is futuristic,” she said. “We can grow. We had a lot of things that couldn’t be put out (in the prior building), but now can be.”
The space is almost 4,000 square feet.
Now the board members are seeking volunteers to help them get open to the public.
“Volunteers are needed to unpack items….to go to the bookshelves,” she said. “Currently, there are three to four of us. We need helpers in order to get us open.”
“When our doors open, we will have a need for volunteers who would be willing to help at least 1/2 day per week.”
Contact them at 602.223.3300. “If that number is not currently answered, an individual may call my phone at 620-224-6613,” Karleskint said.
The board consists of Karleskint, Ralph Carlson, Peggy Cummings, Shirley Hurd, Jim Logan, Terry Sercer, and Don Tucker.
Karleskint said she wanted to thank this board for all of the time and energy they have contributed in the past few
months.
FS Water Distribution Chlorine Burnout Starts July 28
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The City of Fort Scott Water Utility will be initiating a free chlorine burnout of the water distribution system starting Monday, July 28, 2025, and ending as soon as a free chlorine residual is established
throughout the entire system, approximately 2 (two) weeks.
This burnout is necessary maintenance of the water distribution system, which will help maintain State standards for disinfection residual levels and maintain the high quality of water that you have come to expect.
Occasionally, during this process, customers may temporarily experience low pressures, taste or odors, discolored water, or even some sediment in their water.
We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Any questions, concerns, or comments are welcome.
Please contact the Water Treatment Plant at 223-5160 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Monday
through Friday.
Parent Empowerment Circle Sunday, July 27, 2025
Would anyone like to volunteer to bring snacks for this meeting?
**You may want to bring your own snacks if your kids will want some.** Thanks!
Parent Empowerment Circle
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Agenda
1:30 PM – Sign the attendance sheet and get name tag
1:30-1:45 PM – Meet and Greet Time with other attendees
1:45 PM – Round table introductions: Please briefly introduce yourself, why you are attending today and what you hope to gain from coming to this meeting. Please share a recent “WIN” that you are positive about.
2:00 PM – July Meeting: “Dealing with Discouragement”, guest speaker – Candy Turner
3:00 PM to 3:15 PM –
August Meeting: meet up at splash pad for a fun day, bring your own snacks, water to drink and lawn chairs. Invite friends!
September Meeting: “IEP’s and 504’s”, guest speaker – Tonya Barnes
October meeting: TBA
Other questions, comments, suggestions
3:15 PM – Dismiss meeting but you are welcome to chat with other attendees
3:15 PM to 3:30 PM – Clean up space and leave building
Next meeting: August 24, 2025, 1:30-3:30 PM at the Splash Pad, The Gathering Pavilion, North National, Fort Scott.
Cherri Walrod
Community Health Worker
K-State Research and Extension Southwind District
620-223-3720, ext. 503
Micheal Olkowski, Fort Scott, Arrested For Sex Offenses on July 23
Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin confirmed that Michael Olkowski of Fort Scott is still in the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center as of 10 a.m. today.
Olkowski was arrested for sexual exploitation of a child on July 23 at 920 West Park Avenue, Fort Scott, and is being held without bail.
The following was taken from the Kansas Missing and Exploited Facebook page
What’s Happening in Fort Scott July 25 Edition
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