Built in 1867. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
“Fort Hays, originally named Fort Fletcher, was a United States Army fort near Hays, Kansas. Active from 1865 to 1889 it was an important frontier post during the American Indian Wars of the late 19th century.”
Wikipedia article Fort Hays, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 21 National Register listings published here for Ellis County · listed in 1971 · category: Building · built in 1867.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 69 fires within 5 miles of Fort Hays between 2015 and 2020, burning about 193 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Smoking | 8 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Fireworks | 5 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 15-0153 |
| 28 September 2015 | Other causes | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 1655 |
| 28 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 15-0162 |
| 27 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 1648 |
| 26 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 1635 |
| 22 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 1604 |
| 21 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 1597 |
| 11 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Ellis County | 1566 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Fort Hays: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Incorporated Limestone Quarr | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Hays, the town this property stands in, in 237 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 129 hail, 87 thunderstorm wind, 10 heavy rain, 4 tornado. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2003 | Lightning | Hays | 2 hurt | Two Fort Hays students (female) received minor injuries when light struck a tree about 20 feet away. They were treated and released from an area hospital. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | 1 hurt | A door flew open and injured one person |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | $1,500,000 | The most expensive damage was at Fort Hays State University, where the high winds blew off most of the roof from Weist Hall. Vehicles in an adjacent parking lot were damaged by roof debris. Extensive water damage occurred to the interior of the building. Some students and offices were relocated as a consequence of the damage. |The rainfall was so heavy that drains on Lewis Field were overwhelmed, and water accumulated under the special astro turf covering the field and lifted it from the field. |salvaged. |
| May 1995 | Hail | Hays | $50,000 | Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph reported. Lots of broken glass. |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | $50,000 | Roof damage occurred on some buildings at the Ft. Hays State Historic Site. Large trees were uprooted and snapped in the Hays area. A wind gust to 70 mph was recorded at the Hays Airport. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | $20,000 | Several roofs blown off by wind of at least 70 kt. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | $10,000 | Twenty power poles were blown down. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | $7,000 | Dugout moved off foundation and football shed demolished. |
| June 1997 | Lightning | Hays | $5,000 | Lightning bold destroyed a chimney. The debris fell on a car. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | $500 | A power pole was blown down which started a small fire in the back yard. |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Kansas Mesonet site - Hays recorded a 62 mph wind gust. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Law enforcement reports power lines were downed. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Winds were estimated to be 65 MPH. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Power lines were blown down on the west side of Hays. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Winds were estimated to be near 60 MPH. |
| July 2020 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 2.25 inches was observed. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A railroad crossing was snapped off by the high wind. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Two power poles were broken by high wind. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | At least 20 semi trucks were blown over on the interstate in the vicinity. One had power lines blown onto it but fortunately there were no injuries. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A mobile home was blown over but no injuries were reported. |
| August 2019 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 2.80 inches was observed. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH. One inch diameter tree branches were broken. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Winds were estimated to be at least 60 MPH. |
| August 2019 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 3.50 inches was observed. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A roof was blown off a church and the debris landed on vehicles. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Tree limbs were blown down and there was some shingle damage. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | There were several metal buildings damaged or destroyed. Numerous power poles were reported down across the vicinity. |
| September 2018 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 1.50 inches in a short time. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 2.40 inches was observed. |
| July 2018 | Flash Flood | Hays | - | Rainfall of over 3 inches fell during a short period causing street flooding. Several cars were stranded in 3 feet of water. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Winds were estimated to be 70 MPH. |
| April 2017 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 2.79 inches was observed in 1 hour 17 minutes. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Hays | - | The hail covered the ground. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Numerous tree branches and power lines were blown down by the high wind. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Winds were estimated to be 70 MPH. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 3.37 inches was reported. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 3.37 inches was reported. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Several power poles were blown down by high wind. |
| April 2013 | Hail | Hays | - | The hail lasted roughly 5 minutes. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A tree blew down across a street on the north side of Hays. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A 2 foot diameter tree was blown over. |
| August 2011 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | There were several reports of heavy rainfall from 4.5 to 5.0 inches on the northeast side of Hays. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A 4x4 canopy with bricks stacked on it was blown away. Post caps on a PVC picket fence were blown off also. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Power lines were blown down. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF0) | Hays | - | The tornado was visible on the ground for just a short period of time but the funnel was present for longer. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | The roof of the Comfort Inn was taken off by the high wind gust. |
| May 2007 | Heavy Rain | Hays | - | Rainfall of 2.50 fell in less than 1 hour. |
| September 2006 | Flood | Hays | - | Heavy rainfall overnight resulted in considerable runoff. Some county roads were barricaded. |
| August 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Hays | - | A landspout was reported by a chase team out of Oklahoma. |
| April 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Hays | - | Even though this tornado existed for six minutes and travelled over 3 miles, it never hit anything. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Two to three inch diameter tree limbs were blown down. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Hays | - | Also had "torrential rainfall" |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Five semi-trailers were blown off Interstate 70 from 1 mile northwest of Hays to 11 miles east of Hays during a 5 minute period |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Half of a house's roof was blown off and landed across the street |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A house was destroyed 1.5 miles north of I-70 by these downburst winds. The structure lost the roof, garage and two complete walls. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | Several large trees blown down. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A downburst blew down five to six inch diameter tree limbs. A camper was overturned and several stop signs were blown down. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hays | - | A power pole was blown down. |
| September 2003 | Flash Flood | Hays | - | Numerous county roads were flooded. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Grade School | 0.3 miles | 2021 | |
| First Presbyterian Church | 0.6 miles | 1973 | |
 | Phillip Hardware Store | 0.6 miles | 1982 |
 | Chestnut Street Historic District | 0.7 miles | 2008 |
 | Chestnut Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) | 0.8 miles | 2011 |
 | St. Joseph's Church and Parochial School | 0.8 miles | 2008 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 71000314 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Ellis County | All 21 listed properties in this county. |
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