Fort Leavenworth Attractions

Fort Leavenworth

ACCESS TO FORT LEAVENWORTH Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827, making it the third-oldest active military installation in the nation. Sights include one of the original 14 national cemeteries established by President Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College, Memorial Chapel, markers of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails and historic buildings like the Rookery, the oldest house in Kansas, built in 1834.

Access passes can be acquired at the Visitor Control Center, 1 Sherman Avenue, Fort Leavenworth. The reception clerk will verify your driver’s license, car registration and insurance, as well as check ID for all passengers 16 and older. Following a routine background check, visitors will receive a temporary pass and instructions allowing them to enter the installation. For more information, call (913) 684-3600 or visit https://home.army.mil/ leavenworth.

6888TH CENTRAL POSTAL DIRECTORY BATTALION Grant and Stimson Avenues The 6888th Battalion’s mission was to sort and redirect the delivery of the millions of backlogged letters and packages that had all but ceased to be delivered during WWII.

MORMON BATTALION PLAQUE Kearney Avenue and Sumner Place Fort Leavenworth has served as an induction center for several conflicts, including the MexicanAmerican War. In June 1846, a battalion of more than 500 Mormon soldiers arrived here after a 180-mile march from Iowa Territory to receive firearms training and goods they would need for their journey to the front. They went on to complete a 2,000-mile march to San Diego, one of the longest marches in U.S. Army history. BUFFALO SOLDIER MONUMENT Grant and Stimson Avenues During the Civil War, the U.S. government formed segregated regiments known as the United States Colored Troops. Congress reorganized the Army in 1866, forming two cavalry regiments and four infantry regiments of troops that came to be known as Buffalo Soldiers. The 10th Cavalry was organized here at Fort Leavenworth in September 1866 and served in campaigns from the frontier Indian Wars to World War II.

OREGON & SANTA FE TRAIL SWALE Riverside Drive & Scott Avenue Originally Santa Fe Trail and military road traffic would head south down what is now Grant Avenue, eventually crossing the Kansas (Kaw) River at Grinter Ferry in Kansas City, KS, then head due south to Fort Scott, KS, or due west on the Santa Fe Trail. FORT LEAVENWORTH NATIONAL CEMETERY 395 Biddle Boulevard President Abraham Lincoln established the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery on July 17, 1862. It's one of the first 14 national cemeteries and is the final resting place for 23, 000 veterans from every war since the War of 1812. Captain Thomas W. Custer, who died with his brother George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876, is buried here. He was the first person in history to receive two Medals of Honor, and is joined by 9 other Medal of Honor recipients and nearly 150 Buffalo Soldiers. FRONTIER ARMY MUSEUM 100 Reynolds Avenue (913) 684-3191 Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed federal holidays. The Frontier Army Museum tells the story of Fort Leavenworth from 1827 to 1917, including when Lewis and Clark passed by during their Corps of Discovery Expedition. Rotating exhibits highlight uniforms, weapons and equipment used during the fort’s early days.

OLD UNITED STATES DISCIPLINARY BARRACKS 310 McPherson Avenue The original historic U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, or "USDB" for short, on Fort Leavenworth was built in 1874. From 1895 to 1903, prisoners from the USDB were used to construct the nearby U. S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth. A person can tour the grounds and read about the buildings and residents on the Wayfinding kiosk in the courtyard. The large "Castle" that housed the military inmates was demolished in 2004. Stop by the 12th Brick Grille for lunch in the old USDB visitation room. BERLIN WALL Grant and Stimson Avenues This monument memorializes the historic barrier that separated West and East Berlin during the Cold War. After the destruction of the wall in 1989, concrete sections were given to President Ronald Reagan. Three sections were subsequently donated to Fort Leavenworth because of the worldwide influence of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. LEWIS AND CLARK CENTER 100 Stimson Avenue The Lewis and Clark Center houses the Command and General Staff College of the Army (CGSC). It is a graduate school for the United States Army, sister service officers, interagency representatives and international military officers. William Tecumseh Sherman established the college in 1881. It is a premier learning institution preparing the best leaders in the world to prevail in Multi-Domain Operations. FORT LEAVENWORTH I ATTRACTIONS