Fort Gardens
"A profusion of vegetables - beets, carrots,
onions, potatoes, beans, turnips, and
tomatoes - were harvested from (fort)
garden plots."
'Broadax & Bayonet,' Francis Paul Prucha
General order - "To promote the health of the troops and facilitate the necessary arrangements for subsisting the army...the commanding officer of every permanent post and garrisons...will annually cultivate a garden, by the troops under his command, equal to supplying hospital and garrisons with the necessary kitchen vegetables throughout the year..."
Adjutant and Inspector General's office, Sept. 11, 1818
Vegetable gardens were established at every permanent military post, including Fort Scott. In order to keep the men healthy, fresh produce needed to be provided in some way. Each company had a small plot for their own use, as did the hospital and the individual officers. Plants grown at Fort Scott included cabbages, carrots, muskmelons, onions, peas, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, and turnips. After harvesting their crops, the soldiers would have to preserve and
this page online
[Photo captions, from top to bottom, read]
• This photo (1868), taken in front of the frontier-era hospital building, shows a small fenced vegetable plot located roughly where the fort's original hospital garden would have been located in the 1840s.
• Reenactors maintaining a modern demonstration garden.
Erected 2018 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Forts and Castles • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical date for this entry is September 11, 1818.
Location. 37° 50.579′ N, 94° 42.312′ W. Marker is in Fort Scott, Kansas, in Bourbon County. Marker is on Old Fort Boulevard north of Wall Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is on the Fort Scott National Historic Site grounds, a few steps SSE of the Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Old Fort Boulevard, Fort Scott KS 66701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Civil War Town (a few steps from this marker); Fort Scott Yesterday (within shouting distance of this marker); The Heart of Fort Scott (within shouting distance of this marker);
Also see . . .
1. Fort Scott National Historic Site. NPS website entry (Submitted on January 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Post Gardens. Fort Scott National Historic Site website entry (Submitted on January 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Cooking - Historical Background. Fort Scott National Historic Site website entry (Submitted on January 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 140 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
