Fort Hays (1)
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Fort Hays (1) (1865-1889) - A U.S. Army post first established in 1865 as Fort Fletcher in Ellis County, Kansas. Named for Missouri Governor Thomas C. Fletcher, renamed Fort Hays, 11 Nov 1866, after Brigadier General Alexander Hays, who was killed 5 May 1864 at the battle of the Wilderness during the U.S. Civil War. Contemporaneous sources often misspell the name "Fort Hayes". The post was abandoned in 1889.
History A U.S. Army post was first established on 11 Oct 1865 as Fort Fletcher in Ellis County, Kansas on a site 15 miles southeast of the current site. The post was moved to the current location on 22 Jun 1867 after a flood wiped out the original location. Fort Hays provided protection for the employees of the Kansas Pacific Railroad and served as a supply base for troops in the field. The post was an open-plan western fort with no defensive wall and only a blockhouse as protection from attack. The central parade was lined with officer's quarters on the south side and enlisted barracks on the north With the end of the Indian wars, Fort Hays was no longer needed and the post was officially transferred to the Department of Interior on 6 Nov 1889 and was abandoned by the U.S. Army on 8 Nov 1889. The site was turned over to the State of Kansas on 28 Mar 1900.
Current Status Part of the Fort Hays State Historic Site, Hays, Ellis County, Kansas. Four original buildings remain, two officer's quarters, the blockhouse, and the guardhouse. The two officer's quarters are furnished with period furniture and reflect both the quarters of married and unmarried company-grade officers.
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Visited: 12 Oct 2011
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