Sutler sets up shop in Fort Scott

Fort Scott, Kan. -- A big part of frontier military life during the 1800s can now be seen in a small store in downtown Fort Scott.

Local residents Steve and Laura Dunfee are the owners of the new Sutler Store, located at 106 E. Old Fort Blvd., just south of the Fort Scott National Historic Site. The store contains a large variety of historical items that were once typically found in an actual sutler store during the mid-1800s and the Civil War era.

The store also features various antiques from the time period and other items that the Dunfees have collected and researched over the years.

"I've always been a lover of history," Laura said.

A military post sutler was a person during American military conflicts of the mid-1800s who followed an army and sold provisions to the soldiers. The sutler in Fort Scott during the Civil War era played a vital and especially important role in the town's history, Steve said.

"The sutler had an influence on the founding of this town, actually," he said.

The Dunfee's store is similar to a mid-1800s sutler store, but also sells several rare and unique items, many of which are genuine items or museum-quality reproductions, Steve said.

"We have a lot of more personal items that belonged to Civil War soldiers, basically anything that wasn't issued to them by the federal government," Steve Dunfee said. "A sutler store was a place where soldiers could buy things that weren't issued to them."

Some of the items that the Dunfees keep in glass cases in the store include grooming and sewing equipment, games such as checkers and chess, recreational tools and equipment, and other items that soldiers of the time period used on a daily basis during their frequent free time.

One unique item is a lock of a woman's hair that is kept in a small antique box -- a tiny memento at one time for a Civil War-era soldier of his wife or girlfriend, Dunfee said.

"They're all unique, and that's what's so great about them," he said. "They're all personalized in some way." S

The Dunfees, who are originally from Tucson, Ariz., moved to Fort Scott in February 2007 and opened up their store last month. They decided to move to Fort Scott in 2006 after visiting the town and considering it as a possible location for their business, Steve said.

"We looked at Fort Scott and we just fell in love with it," he said.

Steve said he has collected Civil War antiques for 40 years, and has consulted museums and film to study the age of the antiques and also how to keep the items preserved in their original state.

"I started this as a business on the side about 15 years ago, but I'd never had a storefront before," he said. "I've done a lot of extensive research and study on the history of the era in order to determine the date of a piece."

Dunfee said that many of his customers are history enthusiasts or people who want to learn more about the time period, and some people visit the store trying to find out more information about their ancestors.

"Maybe they're trying to find a link to an ancestor they've never met," he said. "There are many relics that are passed down through the generations, like family photos with people who have not been identified."

The store also contains some items that would appeal to the average tourist, and a few items that are used for display purposes only and are not for sale.

Steve said the store is in a good location across from the Fort Scott National Historic Site, a restored frontier military garrison that tells the story of Fort Scott during the mid-1800s. The store is close for visitors of the site and attendees of the annual Good Ol' Days festival in June, he said.

Dunfee said he is currently completing a total store inventory and is also preparing to issue a catalog of items offered in the store.