Fort Scott, Kansas

Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, 88 mi south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National Cemetery. Fort Scott is named for Gen. Winfield Scott.

History
Established and garrisoned by the U.S. Army from 1842–1853, soldiers at Fort Scott assisted with the protection of the Permanent Indian Frontier. After the army abandoned the fort in 1853, the buildings were purchased by local settlers at a government auction in 1855. Fort Scott was laid out as a town in 1857.

Between 1855 and 1861, the citizens of Fort Scott experienced the violent unrest that preceded the American Civil War on the Kansas and Missouri border. Eastern newspapers described this violence as "Bleeding Kansas", a result of the national controversy concerning the extension of slavery into the new territories. Murder, rape, mayhem, robbery, and arson were committed by bold free-state and pro-slavery advocates in the name of their cause. On January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the union as a free state, but the turmoil of "Bleeding Kansas" continued throughout the Civil War.

During the Civil War, Fort Scott was a U.S Army district Headquarters, quartermaster supply depot, training center, and recruitment station. It was strategically vital to the defense of Kansas and the Midwest. A battle over the fort occurred in August 1861 just across the Missouri line in the Battle of Dry Wood Creek. The battle was a pro-South victory for Sterling Price and his Missouri State Guard. Price did not hold the fort and instead continued a northern push into Missouri in an attempt to recapture the state. James H. Lane (Senator) was to launch a Jayhawker offensive behind Price from Fort Scott that led to the Sacking of Osceola. The ill will of these actions was to be the basis for the 1976 Clint Eastwood film The Outlaw Josey Wales.

After the Civil War, Fort Scott was a premier city of the frontier, one of the largest cities in eastern Kansas. On three different occasions, between 1870 and 1900, Fort Scott was in competition with Kansas City to become the largest railroad center west of the Mississippi. During the first half of the 20th century, Fort Scott became an agricultural and small industrial center which it continues to be today.

Downtown fire


On March 11, 2005, a fire destroyed several historic buildings in Fort Scott's downtown. The Victorian-era buildings were among many that are a symbol of the town.

Geography
Fort Scott is located at 37.83528°N, -94.70194°W (37.835180, -94.702015) at an elevation of 846 feet (258 m). It lies on the Osage Plains on the south side of the Marmaton River. Located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 54 and 69 in southeast Kansas, Fort Scott is approximately 54 mi north of Joplin, Missouri, 92 mi south of Kansas City, and 143 mi east of Wichita.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.59 sqmi, of which 5.55 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi is water.

Climate
Fort Scott has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. The average temperature in Fort Scott is 57 °F with temperatures exceeding 90 °F on an average of 81 afternoons a year and dropping below 32 °F during an average of 97 mornings per year. On average, Fort Scott experiences 69.5 rainy days a year. Annual snowfall averages 16.7 in. Precipitation averages 44.1 in per year. On average, January is the coolest month, July the hottest and June the wettest. The hottest temperature recorded in Fort Scott was 120 °F in 1954, the coldest being &minus;18 °F in 1989.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,087 people, 3,285 households, and 1,941 families residing in the city. The population density was 1457.1 PD/sqmi. There were 3,819 housing units at an average density of 688.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 90.3% White, 4.7% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

There were 3,285 households of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 35.2 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,297 people, 3,481 households, and 2,081 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,529.4 people per square mile (590.0/km2). There were 3,914 housing units at an average density of 278.3 persons/km2 (721.5 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 91.53% White, 5.15% African American, 0.93% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 1.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,481 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 40.2% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,871, and the median income for a family was $34,531. Males had a median income of $25,919 versus $20,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,997. About 10.9% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Colleges
Fort Scott Community College, founded in 1919, is the oldest community college in the state of Kansas.

Schools
The Fort Scott Public Schools USD 234 includes two public elementary schools (Eugene Ware Elementary and Winfield Scott Elementary), one public middle school (Fort Scott Middle School) and one high school (Fort Scott High School). There is also a Catholic school for grades K-5, Fort Scott Christian Heights for K-12 and a few other small private schools for students from grades K-12. There is also a public preschool in the old middle school building.

Media

 * Fort Scott Tribune, daily newspaper, founded in 1884.
 * KOMB 103.9 FM- Fort Scott Broadcasting. Classic and contemporary hits station, with talk shows throughout the week. Airs Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Fort Scott Greyhounds and Fort Scott High School sports.
 * KMDO 1600 AM
 * Fort Scott TV - Features community college and high school sporting events, as well as streaming of KOMB & KMDO

Notable people

 * Richard Christy - drummer, personality on The Howard Stern Show
 * Clark M. Clifford - former United States Secretary of Defense
 * Jerry Elliott - jurist
 * Charles Hatfield - "rain maker"
 * Mark Hart - musician, songwriter, producer
 * William D. Hawkins - U.S. Marine awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously during World War II
 * Adam LaRoche - retired Major League Baseball first baseman
 * Andy LaRoche - former major league third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
 * David Perley Lowe - Kansas judge
 * Bob Marshall, Kansas state senator
 * Elmer Verner McCollum - biochemist, discoverer of vitamin A
 * William McDonald - first Governor of the State of New Mexico; resident of Fort Scott.
 * Gordon Parks - photographer, author, filmmaker and composer
 * Lon Ury - baseball player