Fort Scott, originally Camp Scott in honor of General Winfield Scott, was established in 1842. It is restored as a historic site, and is rumored to be haunted. Ghostly soldiers and officers are seen on the lawn, around the courtyard, in the cell blocks and in the stables. They have been known to converse with visitors, who initially thought they were guides in period dress. In the Officers’ Quarters, an officer accidentally shot himself while showing off for his wife. She held him in her arms as he passed away in front of the building, and her distressed ghost has been felt by many here, and foggy apparitions have been reported to come out of the chimney. As well, orphan children are said to be heard in the Free State Hotel, once an orphanage.
If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know!
Rate this Haunted Place
What do you think? Is this place really haunted? Voice your opinion here! Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale.
Geographic Information
- Address:
- Fort Scott, KS
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 37.84342279248996, -94.70408939626464
- County:
- Bourbon County, Kansas
- Nearest Towns:
- Fort Scott, KS (0.3 mi.)
Richards, MO (9.1 mi.)
Redfield, KS (9.7 mi.)
Deerfield, MO (10.8 mi.)
Fulton, KS (11.5 mi.)
Stotesbury, MO (11.7 mi.)
Arcadia, KS (14.6 mi.)
Uniontown, KS (14.8 mi.)
Moundville, MO (14.8 mi.)
Prescott, KS (15.2 mi.)
Contact Information
- Web:
- http://www.nps.gov/fosc
Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time.
Share Your Experiences
Comments (8)
Share Your Comments
Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
once, I was babysitting a 11 year old with his older sister, and he told me that he was tripped when going on a field trip there. since we live in Fort Scott, we decided to go to the fort after school one afternoon, and talked to some people about being physically touched or tripped by un-seen “spirit” anomalies. the tour guide said people complain about being touched, feeling very cold, and/or smelling a foul odor an a daily basis! those are all common things that usually mean that a “spirit” is nearby. the reason I say “spirits” in that manor is so that I do not offend anyone who has a different theory on what they may be. but, I personally think that place is haunted.
I was just tripped there twice in the goods storage building
Been there, in every building, broad daylight. Saw nothing, felt nothing, heard nothing which could not be explained as anything but creaky old buildings or other tourists making noise. Often find buildings which saw a lot of activity from humans or other animals to retain an energy of what I describe as “loss”. If nothing else, the wood had to have absorbed some of the smells associated with human habitation and trauma (i.e. bloodstains, bullet scars, etc.)
Bloodstains bullet scars etc? No such thing. The ONLY building that has stayed standing and hasn’t been completely remodeled is the hospital. Even the hospital has had new upgrades. The exterior of the hospital is the o ly thing that has stood. In the 50s and 60s there was a town square that had sears and lumber yard and even grocery stores. They remade and built everything g to period time on the original foundation sites. A guy I worked with helped rebuild the stables.
The walk through I experienced at Fort Scott was definitely a paranormal experience. I fully expected a civil war era establishment to be walk through time… each building brought me to a setting… i was ready to debunk any theory…. i was by myself, no one was with me in any building. i felt the presence of the ” other side” . the mannequins upstairs above the laundry room were definitely creepy . i’ll only freak if there never was mannequins. and if the conversation in the laundry room (that was caught on video while just looking at an exhibit )…. i have reason to believe that fort scott is haunted. maybe others experienced something.
I used to get an image in the El Dorado Mo area of a large grave of Union soldiers…has anyone else had this?
Former neighbors of mine moved to Fort Scott, and bought a house that was built on ground that used to belong to the fort. It was land outside the fort walls, I think they were referred to as the “parade grounds”? There was a room off of the kitchen that always seemed to have a soldier camping out in it. Another time, they had company spend the night. The guest who slept on the couch asked the next morning if they’d gotten any sleep last night. Of course, they wondered why he would ask such a question. He told them, “There was a steady stream of men walking in and out of your bedroom, all night long!” He didn’t believe them when they told him he was seeing the ghosts of soldiers from the fort!
My girls and grandkids went in April of 2020 and heard a Bugle playing. Workers said they don’t play it on the loud speaker