Living history day to take place Labor Day weekend in Fort Scott

Re-enactors don full costume for one of many living history events at the Fort Scott National Historical Site. submitted photo

Skills and talents of soldiers and civilians at Fort Scott in the 1840s will be the emphasis of programs offered at Fort Scott National Historic Site during Labor Day Weekend. The weekend will include a day of living history on Saturday, Sept. 1, and "Highlights in History" programs on Sunday and Monday, Sept. 2 and 3.

On Saturday, Sept. 1, the fort will come to life with the sights, sounds, and smells of the 1840s. Hear the sounds of musket fire, smell the aroma of fresh baked bread, and see soldiers, laundresses, officers' wives, a surgeon and the sutler adorned in period costume.

Programs for that day will include "Letter Writing in an Era of Elegance," in which visitors will discover the art and significance of letter writing in the 19th century. "Miss Michelle's Day School" will feature activities for the children and will recreate Fort Scott's equivalent of a 19th century classroom. In "Saws and Scalpels," a 1840s surgeon will demonstrate medical procedures of the time and attempt to relieve visitors of their pain and suffering. "Guarding the Frontier" will focus on how the army dealt with deserters, thieves, and other malcontents.

The performing arts will also be a highlight of the weekend. Box and Cox, a historic 1840s play, will feature the dramatic talents of Matt and Katie Wells and Michelle Martin. Matt Wells will also grace the audience by performing period music at an old-fashioned sing-along.

On Sunday and Monday, the site will offer Highlights in History, a series of programs that focus on different and diverse aspects of Fort Scott history from 1842-1873. These programs include a look at the role James Montgomery played in Kansas Territory in the program "The Fearless Jayhawker." Park Ranger Rosemary Frey recites the diary of Emma Morley and the trials of life in Civil War Fort Scott in "I Thought This Place Doomed." "Flash Flood" describes how dragoons from Fort Scott brought about a flood of westward expansion in the 1840s, while "Democracy Run Wild" examines the turbulent politics of Bourbon County and Kansas Territory during the 1850s. "Letter Writing in an Era of Elegance" will again be offered and rounding out the weekend's programs will be "A Nickel for a Pickle," which discusses the role of the sutler at Fort Scott.

The complete schedule of activities for the weekend is listed below:

Saturday, Sept. 1

10 a.m.: "Saws and Scalpels"

11 a.m.: "Miss Michelle's Day School"

12 p.m.: "Letter Writing in an Era of Elegance"

12:30 p.m.: "Folk Hero"--1840s sing-along

1 p.m.: Guided tour

2 p.m.: "Guarding the Frontier"

3 p.m. : "Box and Cox"

4 p.m.: Flag retreat

Sunday, Sept. 2

11 a.m.: "A Nickel for a Pickle"

12 p.m.: "I Thought This Place Doomed"

1 p.m.: Guided tour

2 p.m. "Montgomery -- The Fearless Jayhawker"

3 p.m." "Flash Flood: Fort Scott and Westward Expansion"

Monday, Sept. 3

11 a.m.: "Democracy Run Wild"

12 p.m.: "I Thought This Place Doomed"

1 p.m.: Guided tour

2 p.m.: "Letter Writing in an Era of Elegance"

3 p.m.: "A Nickel for a Pickle"

Fort Scott National Historic Site is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is an entrance fee of $3 for each adult age 16 and over. Children 15 years old and under are admitted free of charge.

For more information, call the site at (620) 223-0310 or visit the Web site at www.nps.gov/fosc.