Scott left a legacy in historic preservation to PRNMP

The face of the Pea Ridge National Military Park today is due in part to the passion of John C. Scott who was superintendent from 2000-14. Scott, 69, died Sunday, Aug. 4, but his legacy lives on.

With one eye on the past and another on the future, Scott tried to rebuild the past to prepare for the future.

While superintendent of PRNMP, Scott worked meticulously to recreate the 1862 view of the land. He retired July 1, 2014, after working in 10 parks over 39 years.

“The overall highlight is being able to put the texture back in the battlefield — we’ve opened up historic roads, put shadow foundations on some of the historic farm sites and houses,” Scott said prior to his retirement. “It’s being able to say that if the actual soldiers came back, they could retrace their steps.

“I think probably, one of my major highlights, we kind of had this campaign, by restoring and protecting these living landscapes, they in turn become the monument to the soldiers who fought and died here and, in some degree, to all of our veterans.”

“Really, I got up one morning, looked in my closet and realized I had uniforms older than several of our employees,” he grinned. “It made me think. I’ve got 39 years with the Park Service. It’s time for some of us old-timers to step out of the way and let some of the younger leaders step up to have opportunities. I needed to make the decision and turn in the paper work and not have a lot of time to dwell on it.”

He began his career in 1975 at Yellowstone National Park, went to Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada; then Ozark National Scenic Riverways at Van Buren, Mo.; Crater Lake National Park in Oregon; back to the Ozarks at the Buffalo National River; Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in Washington; Apostle Islands, Wisconsin; then to Pea Ridge in 2000. Since being here, he has had temporary assignments as acting superintendent at Mount Rushmore and Fort Larned, Kan.

Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in science and a masters in freshwater biology. He and his wife, Diane, married in 1977. They had three children.

“Something happened — something about the park, the story, Northwest Arkansas — that got into my system that kept me here,” he mused.

“The story, the time in history, part of it was the significance of what that whole Civil War story was — it’s kind of what I call a philosophical wilderness. You study and learn from both the good and the bad decisions that people in our country have made and have an opportunity to change it.”

Scott admitted that as a student, he didn’t particularly care about history.

“I’m like most people of my age, what was taught was dates. Maybe it wasn’t until I started working for the Park Service that I started getting interested in the different eras.

“I figured out that what is important isn’t so much the date,

but the effect. It’s like throwing a stone into a pond — those ripples — that’s what made it all come together for me. The Battle of Pea Ridge is just one small window into the history of our country, but through that window, you can go into a room, then into another room …”

Scott said that as he and the staff began restoring the battlefield, they would uncover a clue that would lead to something else.

“It was basically like detective work … we found a foundation and would research that. Then, we’d do the archeological work. It provides another piece of information.”

“Restoring the battlefield is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Even as much work as we’ve done, there are still pieces we don’t know yet. It’s like you put a piece of the puzzle in and it opens up several others.”

“My passion for Pea Ridge is being able to restore a Civil War battlefield back to the best scientific knowledge of what it may have looked like at the time minus some of the crops and houses and all of that. To me, the administrative history of how it became a part of the National Park Service, is as fascinating. It’s truly an Arkansas product, not only was the battle itself fought in Arkansas, if it wasn’t for citizens of Arkansas and their long perseverance in getting (the park) established, it never would have happened.”

While Scott lauds all the work, he also deflects credit.

“I don’t like to take credit for any of this stuff. The whole team routinely steps up and goes beyond — it’s not just me. I think all of the employees have a passion for it. Like anything, we need to refocus and remind ourselves to protect our resources and serve visitors. We’re in an era now that tends to get caught up more in processes than in product.”

Pea Ridge National Military Park is good for wildlife viewing, enjoying green space, historical education, exercise. Scott said people go there for many different reasons.

“Learn. Study this history. Learn from it so we don’t make similar mistakes,” Scott said, summarizing his passion for the purpose of the park. “Don’t ever take it for granted. It takes the whole community to care about this park — to care more about preserving a historic view shed than convenience.”