Tragedies highlighted in weekend Fort tours

Tragedies inFort Scott's history will be the focus of a special evening tour offered Saturday evening at Fort Scott National Historic Site.

The tour, which tells the story behind the deaths of various soldiers and local citizens during the mid-1800s, will be the first in a series of evening tours that staff at the site have planned this summer. Staff will guide visitors through five different scenes that will depict how these soldiers or citizens met violent deaths.

Scenes created by several local re-enactors will include a deserter who was shot by a firing squad in 1863, a drunken soldier who killed a corporal in a fight over a dog in 1846, the accidental shooting death of an officer in 1845, and the death of John Little, a former deputy marshal who lost his life in a morning raid on Fort Scott in 1858.

At each scene, visitors will hear "voices from the past." Some of the incidents involve mysteries that have never been fully explained, a news release said.

The tour guide will introduce each scene, provide narration, and discuss with the group the actual incident that occurred, FSNHS Chief Ranger Kelley Collins said.

Collins said one actor in each scene steps out of the scene and reads from a letter, diary or other historical account, "so (visitors) get a good feeling for how people viewed the incident during the time period." Each scene is set up similar to an historical form of entertainment called a tableau.

"Figures from the past come to life," she said.

Emma Morley, a Civil War nurse at Fort Scott in 1864, wrote the following words in a journal while remarking on the death of a young Union soldier who died after being wounded during the Battle of Mine Creek:

"Oh this war, how many broken hearts has it caused."

People, places and events included in the scenes is based upon historical documentation, Collins said.

"We try to bring history to life with these tours," she said. "There has been good attendance each year we give this tour."

Friends of the FSNHS President Reed Hartford said he has volunteered at the historic site for six years and participated in some re-enactments. He has been involved with the site's annual holiday Candlelight Tour for eight years, serving many of those years as a tour guide.

For this weekend's tour, Hartford said he will be playing the role of Blake Little, the brother of Deputy Marshal John Little.

"I enjoy history and have become particularly interested in the rich history of Fort Scott, both the military establishment and the early community, and I enjoy trying to interpret that for people so they can understand our local legacy," he said.

The site began offering evening tours about four years ago and the Tragedies of Fort Scott tours were the first evening tours to be provided. The tours were and continue to be "very popular," Collins said.

"It seems to be very popular," she said. "We average about 50 people per tour."

There is no charge for the tour, but those who plan to attend are asked to sign up in advance by calling (620) 223-0310. The tour will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tour-goers will meet at the site's visitors center. Other tours featuring different topics will be offered on July 23, Aug. 20, and Sept. 24.