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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Old Fort Genealogical Society

Fort Scott, Kansas

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Fort Scott.

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12Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1858 to 1979Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

107,022Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Fort Scott, Kansas.

Explore the past of Fort Scott, Kansas through newspapers as well as yearbooks and annuals in the Old Fort Genealogical Society's digital archive. Its twelve titles include material from 1858 to 1979.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    The titles shared by Old Fort Genealogical Society include “Fort Scott High School Yearbooks” as well as “The Fort Scott Tribune And The Fort Scott Monitor”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • Different views of the past

    A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue. Yearbooks and annuals bring together the people and activities their editors chose to remember, offering a view of life within a particular year.

Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse twelve titles and 107,022 digitized pages, with material from 1858 to 1979. This collection is shared through Old Fort Genealogical Society's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Every search for the past starts with a question. Explore the titles below, follow the sources that speak to it, and see what new detail appears.

Bourbon County Monitor

38 pages from 1862 to 1863

Chronological List of Members First Christian Church

366 pages in 1884

Fort Scott High School Yearbooks

3,164 pages from 1970 to 1979

Garnett Plaindealer

4 pages in 1865

The Daily Monitor

680 pages in 1864

The Daily Morning Monitor

836 pages from 1864 to 1865

The Fort Scott Bulletin

224 pages from 1862 to 1863

The Fort Scott Democrat

1,036 pages from 1858 to 1861

The Fort Scott Tribune And The Fort Scott Monitor

100,100 pages from 1924 to 1949

The Union Monitor

526 pages from 1863 to 1866

The Weekly Union Monitor

16 pages in 1865

Western Volunteer

32 pages in 1862

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About the Society

About The Old Fort Genealogical Society

The Old Fort Genealogical Society (OFGS) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the history of families and communities in Bourbon County, Kansas, and beyond. Located in Fort Scott, OFGS serves as a genealogical, historical, and now archaeological research center. The society houses an extensive collection of genealogy, history, and archaeology resources, making it a vital hub for researchers and history enthusiasts. OFGS accepts research requests for genealogy needs related to individuals or families, historical locations, businesses in Bourbon County, Border Wars, and Civil War events in the area. The society also focuses on uncovering the stories of communities that ancestors might have lived in or established. One of OFGS's ongoing projects includes the excavation and documentation of a "Lost Cemetery," reflecting their commitment to uncovering and preserving the lost stories of the past.

Old Fort Genealogical Society photo 1

Institution History

The History Of The Old Fort Genealogical Society

Established with the mission to preserve the rich history of Bourbon County and its residents, the Old Fort Genealogical Society has become a key resource for genealogists and historians alike. Over the years, the society has expanded its focus to include archaeological research, adding a new dimension to its historical preservation efforts. The society’s historical newspaper collection, now digitized and accessible online, provides a unique window into the past, offering valuable insights into the lives and events that shaped the region.

About the Community

About The Bourbon County Area

Bourbon County, located in southeastern Kansas, is an area steeped in history. From its early days as a frontier settlement to its role in the Border Wars and the Civil War, the county has a rich and diverse past. The Old Fort Genealogical Society plays a crucial role in preserving this history, offering resources and support for those looking to explore their ancestry or learn more about the historical events that have shaped the region.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Old Fort Genealogical Society’s historical newspaper collection includes titles dating back to 1874? These newspapers offer a fascinating glimpse into the past, chronicling significant events, everyday life, and the growth and development of Bourbon County and the surrounding areas.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Look beyond a familiar name

Yearbooks and annuals preserve selected views of a time in Fort Scott. Follow a name or organization through a dated volume in the yearbooks and annuals shared by the Old Fort Genealogical Society, and keep the publication's perspective visible as you ask what other sources might add. Read the publication as one historical voice; it can illuminate a community without speaking for everyone who lived there.

Where the available dates overlap, use a name, activity, or organization in a yearbook or annual as a starting point for a newspaper search. Compare the details carefully; a similar name is a lead to investigate, not an identification by itself.

Keep the title, date, page or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help you connect a local story to its evidence and explain what remains uncertain.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Old Fort Genealogical Society, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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