The Liberty Theatre is located at 113 S. Main Street in beautiful downtown Fort Scott, Kansas.  The buildings that are now housed by the Liberty Theatre were originally built in 1883.  Prior to the Liberty, the building has played host to a variety of businesses including, a newspaper, an architect’s office, furniture store, millinery, barber shop and a doctor’s office.  The property was converted into a moving picture house by H.L. Stout.

The theatre took approximately one year to construct because of the difficulty to obtain structural steel during and following World War I.  The Liberty Theatre was originally opened on July 1, 1919 as a single screen movie theater featuring two hand-painted murals depicting the Dragoons on the grounds of Fort Scott and the Western settlers in Downtown Fort Scott of the late 1800’s.

Liberty Theatre was later renamed the Fox Theater and in the 1980’s split and converted into twin movie theaters.  Michael Flannelly purchased the Fox Theater and began renovations in early 2000’s. The historical ornamental murals were unveiled once again after being covered up during renovations by the Fox Theater owners.

Jim and Paulette Smith, successful local business owners, purchased the property in 2005.  The couple finished the renovations started by Flannelly and opened the theatre for live concerts, corporate events and private parties in 2006.

In 2015, local real estate broker and entrepreneur, Jared Leek, purchased the Liberty Theatre from the Smith’s and continues the legacy of the previous owners.

Liberty Theatre hosts a variety of live performances open to the public, as well as, private and corporate events.  For additional information on upcoming events and planning your event, contact Jared Leek at (620) 224-9787.