fort scott national cemetery

There was a lot of termoil with Kansas entering the Union, much of it came to a head near here. The Fort and Cemetery are a worthy destination.

Dec 6 was our 4th time in last 5 years and it's always different, always worth the effort... Tickets go on sale November 1 and are usually sold out...

Beautiful setting on a gentle slope on southeast side of Fort Scott. Established during the Civil War as one of the original National Cemeteries. A pleasant place to reflect on the true meaning of sacrifice. Surely our freedom is maintained at a great personal cost. Since the site is small compared to many other National Cemeteries, it is easily viewed. Quite unique since it holds Civil War Union veterans who were white, African American, and Native American, as well as several Confederate soldiers who died while being held prisoner at Fort Scott.

The was the first national cemetery, so there's a ton of history there. The staff does an amazing job of maintaining the grounds. The headstones are all perfectly aligned. On the Fourth of July there are large American flags places every few feet on the city street leading to the cemetery! If it doesn't make you feel humbled, grateful, and patriotic you should probably move!!

Beautiful green grass which is kept watered and beautifully manicured. Groundskeepers are very helpful. My father-in-law, a WWII veteran, had his service there.The staff at the cemetery are very professional and help guide you through the process. The Veteran of Foreign Wars honor guard did an outstanding job and the chaplain gave a meaningful service with short notice. The professionalism and compassion were very appreciated. This is a beautiful cemetery and it gives you a lump in your throat to think of all these men and women who served this country so selflessly so we can enjoy our freedom.

A great tribute to the ones who have served our country. Very impressive and well manicured location. Very worthwhile the experience of seeing it.

I love visiting this cemetery and do every time I visit Fort Scott. I have several close relatives buried there. It is beautifully tended and underwent a renovation and expansion a short time ago. Parking your vehicle, getting out and walking to look at and read the headstones is a very moving experience. Please visit this treasure if you are close to this area of southeast Kansas!

Started by the local community as a Presbyterian Graveyard in 1861, Fort Scott National Cemetery was one of the 12 original United States National Cemeteries named by Abraham Lincoln in 1862. Buried here are Civil War casualties, group graves for WWII flight crews where the individual bodies could not be identified and a group of memorial markers to honour veterans whose remains have not been recovered or identified, were buried at sea, donated to science, or cremated and the ashes scattered.

Walking through the cemetery and reading the gravestones may not sound exciting, but believe me, it will entrance you. Look for the gravestone of the WWII bomber crew and the special section of Confederate war dead.

Everyone needs to visit a national cemetery. This was the first one established and it is a gem. It is a very solemn moving place.

Very nice and well kept National Cemetery, well worth a stop. Many gravestones from the 1850's and Civil War up to Iraq War soldiers, take a walk among our heros and say a prayer and a thank you for all those that gave their lives to protect us. There is so much history when you walk the grounds, you just feel it. The groundskeepers are great and will direct you to the oldest gravestones or the Native American Indians gravestones.

As a retired soldier, we have chosen this National Cemetery as our place to be buried. My wife and I just happened to visit the cemetery while visiting Fort Scott and were impressed with the grounds. We immediately chose it for where we wanted to be buried.

Being a native of Fort Scott, this cemetery is definitely No. 1 in my childhood recollections, and in family lore. Although I never actually heard a ghost story about it, I am confident any spirits in residence there are happy with their surroundings and companions .... heroes every one! My dad enjoyed telling about finding arrowheads and other small artifacts along the east and north walls of the cemetery when he was an adventurous youth. He delighted in telling about two Native American soldiers buried side-by-side therein. One was named Stick-out-belly and the other was "Wipe-off.". A tasteless joke, to be sure, but a popular one among local young fellows in the 1920s. (History seems to have a seamy side, too.) Actually, Stick-out-belly IS taking his everlasting sleep in Ft. Scott National Cemetery No. 1, but his nearby companion is named Deer-in-water, a much more pleasing designation. Their graves can be found in the northwest quarter of the cemetery, a few rows from the entrance. My uncle and a number of my high school friends who faithfully served our country are taking their eternal rest beneath the evergreen branches they probably strolled under in their childhood, keeping a watchful eye out for arrowheads in case their dads might have missed one. This is a beautiful cemetery, with many stories of historical importance and heroism attaching to it. I seldom visit Ft. Scott without taking a drive through the cemetery, to enjoy its serene beauty and re-experience the wonder it invoked in me during my growing-up years. You will be struck by its age and purpose, and the spirits of the proud soldiers from every war resting in the pristine peace of this very special place. You won't be sorry you took a few minutes of your own life to pay your respects to the soul and spirit of our nation in its National Cemetery No. 1. There are lessons here for all to learn and cherish. A note ... Dolly the Trolley (an informative fun ride..boards downtown a block east of the Fort) does pass through the grounds, but there is no stop for you to explore. So, do both.

This cemetery is one of the oldest national cemeteries.. commissioned in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln! Worth driving through to see the history. Easy to find. One really must stop and see the important piece of history.