Fort Montgomery (Eureka)
Encyclopedia
Fort Montgomery in the town of Eureka, Kansas
Eureka, Kansas
Eureka is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,633.-History:...

 was built in summer 1861 by local citizens for protection against Indian attacks and Confederate guerrilla forces.

An earlier structure also named Fort Montgomery had been built in Linn County, Kansas
Linn County, Kansas
Linn County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,656. Its county seat is Mound City, and its most populous city is Pleasanton...

, west of Mound City
Mound City, Kansas
Mound City is a city in and the county seat of Linn County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 694.-Geography:Mound City is located at...

. Both were named for free-state leader James Montgomery
James Montgomery (colonel)
James Montgomery was a Jayhawker during the Bleeding Kansas Affair and a controversial Union colonel during the American Civil War...

.

The Eureka fort was fairly solid, apparently being constructed of logs. Ports for guns were built into the walls and these could be covered. Surrounding the fort were breastworks of logs covered with dirt. A small cannon, issued by the federal government, was mounted outside the fort. The roof, however, leaked and the floor, while made of wooden planks, allowed animals and snakes inside.

Fort Montgomery was manned by government scouts and the local militia. Militia commander Leander Bemis was in charge of the fort. The militia was outfitted with guns supplied by the Federal government. For a time Fort Montgomery served as the local school, after the schoolhouse burned.

The militia manned the fort until 1868. That year regular troops occupied the building for a short time. After they left, the fort became the first newspaper office of The Eureka Herald, started on July 4, 1868. The editor, S. G. Mead, had to remodel the fort, which by then showed many signs of wear. He made other attempts to fix problems, but gave up what he saw as a hopeless battle. In May 1869 Fort Montgomery was demolished.
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