Fort Larned National Historic Site recently received a shipment of new brochures to hand out at the visitor center.
One of the first things visitors look for when they walk into a National Park Service visitor center is the park brochure. Not only do they look to them for information about the place they’ve come to see, but they often keep them as a souvenir of the visit. Fort Larned recently replaced its old brochure with a new, more colorful version.
“The previous brochure had historically correct and factual information about the fort but it had no visual appeal,” Chief Ranger George Elmore explained. “The new brochure has a dramatic overview image of the fort during its busiest years, as well as more in-depth information on the fort’s history. It uses both imagery and text to better tell the Fort Larned story.”
About three years ago the staff identified the need for a new brochure and then applied for the funding to complete it. NPS Midwest Regional Chief of Interpretation Tom Richter helped get the funding for the project. After that, the project went to the Park Service’s design center at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
When the money came through in March of 2015, the project moved quickly, Elmore said. There were onsite meetings, conference calls and draft reviews through email with the design team from Harper’s Ferry. One important reason for onsite visits is so the team can get a sense of the park and its story, and take photographs to use in the new design. The Harper’s Ferry Center also awarded the contract for the artist who designed the fort overview on the front page of the brochure, James Mann of Art Farms Studio in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
The Fort Larned staff invites the public to come out and pick up the new brochure. If you can’t make it out, call or email and they’ll be happy to mail one to you.
Besides the newly finished brochure, Fort Larned is about half-way through the process for creating new Visitor Center exhibits. The design phase is almost complete and fabrication should begin soon. The installation is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2019.
\Fort Larned National Historic Site is located six miles west of Larned on K-156. Information on visiting is on the internet at www.nps.gov/fols, or by calling 620-285-6911, or email fols_superintendent@nps.gov.