National Cemetery improvements continue moving forward

Since receiving renovation recommendations in 2001, the Fort Scott National Cemetery has been making progress on its upgrades. And more improvements are on the way.

Fort Scott National Cemetery Director William Owensby said that several upgrades have recently been completed including raising and realignment of all the headstones (headstones from different eras of war are different sizes and at different heights,) installing a new irrigation system and resurfacing the roads. Owensby said that while the roads were being resurfaced, the front gate was restored.

One of the biggest improvements so far was the renovation of the rock wall surrounding the old section of the cemetery. Owensby said the contractor salvaged and reused as much of the original wall as possible and the rock that could not be salvaged was sent to the quarry it originated from more than 100 years ago.

The newly renovated grounds of Fort Scott National Cemetery No. 1 include raised and realigned headstones. The improvements are being made in an effort to bring the cemetery to National Shrine Status in accordance with regulations set by the National Cemetery Administration. (Michael Pommier/Tribune)

In the process of rebuilding the wall, Owensby said it was decided to reconstruct the middle section, separating the old section from the new at a lower height than the original. He said the decision was made to help connect the two sections of the cemetery a little better.

"We wanted to give the impression and make people understand that that's not two separate cemeteries," he said.

Currently, the director's lodge is being restored to its original state. Owensby said the contractor that was chosen specializes in "restoration, not renovation."

"During the restoration they will take it back to, hopefully, its original look from the late 1800s-early 1900s," he said.

A new feature that was not original to the building is an electronic grave location kiosk. Owensby said the kiosk will help visitors locate a specific grave and print a map showing where the grave is.

Renovations to the rock wall surrounding Fort Scott National Cemetery No. 1 were recently completed. During the process, as much of the original rock as possible was reused to construct the new wall. (Michael Pommier/Tribune)

Also on the list to be restored is the rostrum -- the platform on the east edge of the cemetery. Owensby said the plan is for the rostrum to be rebuilt in late 2012. Like the wall, the contractor will salvage and reuse as much of the original material as possible. He added that the plan is to also rebuild an arbor, similar to the one that originally provided cover.

"We are thinking about seeing what we can do to bring a more realistic look to it and hopefully be able to put an arbor back up there," he said.

Plans also call for renovation of the maintenance building, which will be done after the director's lodge is completed in mid-spring.

The improvements are the result of a 2001 study done of all national cemeteries in the country. Owensby said the National Cemetery Administration provided each cemetery with a report describing what needed to be corrected and how much it would cost.

Trees provide shade on the recently renovated grounds of Fort Scott National Cemetery. Work on the headstones and rock wall has been completed. Restoration of the director's lodge is scheduled to be finished in the spring.(Michael Pommier/Tribune)

When a cemetery meets all the standards, he said, it is awarded National Shrine Status.

Owensby, who also serves as director of the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery and the Leavenworth National Cemetery, said he is proud of the work done in Fort Scott.

"You have no idea, as the director, how proud I am of that cemetery," he said. "For the three national cemeteries that I have ... that is our No. 1 goal ... to eventually reach the National Shrine Status."

"Right now Fort Scott is my prettiest cemetery. It is just beautiful and I am proud of it," he added later.

According to Owensby, the success of the Fort Scott National Cemetery is due to his staff and community support -- something he hasn't seen anywhere else.

"I know that the people down there in Fort Scott love that cemetery better than any other place I've been before ... ," he said. "I've been around the government my whole life and I've never seen a town that loved the cemetery like y'all do ... It's very touching to know that a community loves a cemetery that much."