FSNHS offers Saturday evening tour

The Fort Scott National Historic Site will be offering an evening tour Saturday highlighting dramatic scenes from the Civil War.

Throughout the war, Fort Scott was home to many important functions including a supply depot, a training and recruitment center, an army general hospital, a refugee center, a military prison, and a national cemetery.

During the one-hour tour, participants will visit six different stops in which they will hear about the daring exploits of soldiers as they patrolled for bushwhackers, discover the courageous story of a woman who, despite threat of invasion, refused to leave her home, and relive the experience of African American soldiers who took an important step towards freedom and equality as they joined the Union Army.

"All of these stops portray the vital functions that Fort Scott contributed during the Civil War," FSNHS Park Ranger Barak Geertsen said.

The tour will begin at 7 p.m. from the Visitor Center located at the site. There is no admission charge for the tour.

The FSNHS is open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The usual $3 entrance fee is being waived August 15-16 in efforts to encourage park visitation and connections with the nation's natural and cultural heritage. For more information call 620-223-0310 or visit www.nps.gov/fosc.