Rm No. 10-30& IRw. 10741

UP4 ITEDSTATkS DEPA KTMENT 01; THE INTERIOR NAVONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES IENVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM '

FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES

SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPL~EIYATIONAL REGESTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS

NAME Fort Smith., Arkansas

AND/OR COMMON

Fort Smith National Historic Site

STREET L NUMBER

Fort S m i t h National Historic Site -HOTFOR W B U C A ~ O N CITY. TOWN CONGRESSIOkAC DISTRICT

Fort Smith - welulw OF 3 STATE CODE UIUNfY CODE

CATE O ORY OWNERSHIP STATUS -DISTRICT %USUC -DCW PIED

XBUILOINGIS~ ,PRIVATE ,U NOCCUPiED

-STRUCtURE ,BOTH -WORK IN PRMiRESS

-SITE PUBLIC ACCLUIS1TION ACCESSIBLE ,OWECT -IN PROCESS XYES: RESTRICTED

-BEiNG WNSIDERED ,YES: UNRESTRICTED

,NO

PRESENTUSE - -AGRICULTURE. YMUSEUM - ~ M M E R C I A L XPARK -EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENE

AHTERTAINMEHT -RELIGIOUS

XGOVERNMLW -SCIENTIFIC

-INDUSTRIAL ,TRAN SPORTATTOM

-M IUTAAY -OTHER

REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS. I M @ I b k I j

STREET& NUMBER

Southwest Regfonal Office P.O. Box 728 CtTY. TOWN STATE

Santa Fe - VICINITT OF New Mexico

LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDSETC. Sebastian County Courthouse STREET B NUMBER

CITY. TQWN STATE

Fort Smith Arkansas

REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS ,,,,, National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, Theme XI

"The Advance of the Frontier, 1763-1830'' pp 104-106 DATE

January, 1959 FEDERAL STATE - C O U ~ LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR

SURVEY UECORQS National Park Service, Southwest Regional Off ice CITY. TOWN STATE

Sanra Fe New Mexico

CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

,w FEALTERED ORIGINAL SITE ,

LALTEREO ,MOVED DATE

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL [IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Fort Snith National Xistoric S i t e commemorates three historic periods-the First Fort dI81?-1824), the Second Fort 11838-18713, and J u d i c i a l (7871-1830). The historic resources of the First Fort consist of stabil ized stone foundations and buried archeological remains a t their original locat ion overlooking t he junction of the Poteau and Arkansas @verse The Second Fort Znclude the Barracks (also known as the Courthouse), C m i s s a r y , Cistern, and foundations of the Second Fort GJalls and poss ib ly two Officers' Quarters and Quarternaster Building. For the most part, the location, design, materials, and worhanship are a l l original, The original setting, however, was an active fort enclosed by stone w a l l s twelve feet high w i t h a t least 14 other structures. The interiors of all buildings have k e n changed considerably. I n addition, the Jail, b u i l t during the J u d i c i a l period, abuts the Courthouse, (Earracksl, and is b u i l t of red brick t r i th a slate roof to conform with the older structure. The structures of the J u d i c i a l period include the Courthouse (also known as Sarracks), Jail, and Cmissary. Wile 1 ocation, design, materials, and worhanship are or iginal , the setting dwindled to 8 o t h e r structures, and the interiors of' a l l structures were modified extensiveiy .

1. First Fort

The f i r s t Fort Ssllith was erected at Belle Po in t , an area of elevated ground lying a t the function of the Pskansas and Poteau Rivers. Construction began in 114 17 and was completed in 1822 ; al tera t ions were made between 1522 and the fort's abandomnt in 1824, The fort was enciosed by a w a l l 132' square, made of timkrs w i t h a sandstone foundation. Blockhouses, each 2a1 square and Vdc stories in height, were located a t the north and south corners. A series of cabins, b u i l t mostly of dressed timbers, faced inward on the parade ground; tP,e rear walls of the cabins formed the outer walls of the fort, These cabins served as barracks, storehouses, shops, etc.

Today, the only v i s i b l e remains of the first Fort are portions of its stone foundations, exposed in the course of archeological excavations perforned Fc 3953-59 and 1962-63, These have k e n s t a b i l i z e d with cemnt Kortar. Sme or' the walls of the South blockhouse have been exposed; thou@ stabilized, they still e x h i b i t some original nortar. Tarts of the walls cf a r m a t the xsst corner of t h e Fort (possibly a k i t c h e n ) have also been exposed.

2. First Fort Quarry

Belaw the site of the f i rs t Fort, a t the edge of t h e Poteau River, are the remains of the rccky bluff tha t was original ly a praninent feature of Sell? Poin t . This sandstone outcrop was used as a quarry by the builders of tSe

HPS Form TO- W

United States Department of the Interior National Park Senrice

National Register of His tor i c Places Inventory-Nomination Form d.tlbmttwkd

h f m a t i m sheet Fort Smith Item n u m k 7 page

second Fort Smith. Marks of quarrying tools are still visible on the rock faces.

3. Second Fort and Judicial Per id (General Descriptianl

The second Fort Smith was erected a short distance Capproximately 500 feet 1 east of the site of t h e first fort, Construction began i n 1839 and was cmpleted 1846. A strong stone uall , 12' high and 39wide, enclosed an area approximately 7 acres in extent. The wall Mas f i u e - s i d e d w i t h its corners oriented tawards t h e north, northeast, southeast, south, and southwest. office- Quarters were located along the wall between the nor th and southwest corners; t h e Barracks faced them across the parade ground, and the stables were l oca ted outside t h e uall south of the parade ground.

Tne J u d i c i a l Period modi f ied the same structures affiliated wi th the Second Fort and added a J a i l wing to t h e Courthouse. By the time of the Judic ia l Period, the Second Fort Valls were being torn dmn and a Jailor's Residence existed i n the v i c i n i t y of t h e Second For t Officers1 Quarters (no longer standing).

The s t a n d i n g structures frm the Second For t and Judicial period are individually described belw:

4. Cmissary

The Ccmnissary was built a t t he north corner of the fort, q m n the stone foundations of Bastion E l , f r o n t i n g the river. This bastion was t o have served as a blockhouse, but by 1845 it was clear t h a t the f o r t had more need for a storehouse than for further fortifications. Construction began fn t he f a i l cC 1845 and was completed in 1846. Although repairs and minor alterations have taken place, the building has experienced no major s t ruc tura l changes sicce :I: construction. It has been used successively as a storehouse and barracks ?j

t h e army, as l i v i n g quarters and judge? shhanbers by a federal dis t r ic t cou:-i, and a s a musem by a l o c a l historic& society.

The Cmissary is trapezoidal in plan and measures approximately 48 by 5 0 ' . Tne a sh l a r crenelations of the original Fort bastion, built between 1839 arc 1842, encunpass t h e building on the northeast and northwest faces, and on three-quarters of the wall lengths of the other two elevations. The nails ::' t h e b i s s a r y are of rubble linestone with ashlar-cut corner quoins. Co!.::. and copings are of brick, as are t h e corbelled brackets which f i n i s h off t::e gables a t the p a r a p t ends, There are brick rwlcck arches over the windm doors, Evidence suggests t h a t the original wood shingle roof of the buiLz:.

United States Department of the Interior w National Park Senrlce

I - - - - National Register of -)listo:ic Places ~k&c-&gq% - -< ..* 2- i Inventory-Nomination Form T .7.se5 F

I , . - ( - I .--+ .% . -5 .,-y-p: => &4r ' . 1.1. ~i,:tw;i&t;&z.

Contlnuatlon sheet Fort S m i t h l t e m m b w 7 Pase 3

was replaced with s l a t e around 1857, follmed by asbestos shingles in the twentieth century. R.le present roofing has been restored with slate shingles.

There are double entrance doors on both the first and second startes of the northeast face of the building and an entrance door on the first floor on the southwest face. Wile these openings and t h e hardware on t h e doors are o r i g i n a l , the door materials are not. Tklo second-story entrances, one o a t h e southwest and the other on the southeast face, were cut sune time af te r the o r i g i n a l construction of the bui ld ing . There are six barred windclws a t t h e first floor level, fitted with casement sash. The e i g h t windms a t t h e second-floor level are double-hung sash. Tiere is a l o f t windcu in each of the gables; these are also double-hung sash. Hone of the exist ing windon frames o r sash are or ig ina l . To improve vent i l a t ion and prevent fabric deterioration, the 1984-85 res to ra t ion removed t h e non-historic glazing and added louvers t o four windms on the first floor, two windms on the second floor, and Wo windaws in the attic. The insertion of t w o fireplaces s tacks in the northwest w a l l necessitated the blocking aut of the two original windm openings and the c u t t i n g of ttro others nearer the corners of t h a t .side of the building a t the second floor level. The brick m l o c k arches remain i n the wal l over the f i l l e d - i n openings.

R e two present brick chimneys an the northwest end are the projections of two fireplace stacks added circa 1866. An early chininey, which was located near the door on the second floor facade and extended only frcm t h e second floor, is now cut off belm the roof line. It is not v i s i b l e frm t h e exterior.

About 1910 an exterior stone and concrete staircase an the southwest f ron t was added when the bui ld ing was adapted-for use as a musem. This was removed dur ing the restoration project of 1985. Also during 1910, porches were added to t h e southwest and northeast sides of the building, and a second floor platfom wi th a picket railing and stairuay was added to the northeast facade, replacing an earl ier stair and platform previously located near t he south corner of the same facade. The porches and t h e platform and stairday have been removed frm the building.

The interior of the first floor of the Cclmmissary is one l a rge undivided space, except for a corner stairway and washroan; it apparently has never been partioned. The walls are t h i n l y plastered over the stone masonry and historical ly were uhite-washed. The original floor is rough, f l a t stone. Four 9-inch square oak posts, resting on square stone bases, support the two transverse second floor beams. mere are two brick fireplaces on the first floor, added c i rca 1866. Interior sta irs b u i l t during t h e twentieth century were removed during t h e restoration project of I985

United States Department of the Interior Natlonal Park Service

.National Register of Historic Places inventory-Nomination Form

Continuation sheet Fort Smith Item numbw 7

The second floor is presently divided i n t o three rooms: one long room on t h e northeast and two rooms on the southwest. The present partitions appear t o be t h e originals. The present wood flooring overlays an earlier f loor ing, also cf wood. !laIls, pa r t i t i ons , and ceiling are plastered, The four interior doors are four-panel, late-Victorian stock. Of the two fireplaces on t h e second floor, one has been closed and one has a mantel , which is n o t original to the fireplace construction.

The a t t i c is reach& through a t r ap door in t h e nodern ceiling of t h e second floor. The space is undivided and of exposed construction, A h o i s t machine, central t o t he wheel, approximately 3 1J2' in diameter, still turns freely and is well balanced. Iron braces connect t h i s wheel to a drm 6' long. In 1985 smoke detectors were added to the bui ld ing , Puring the restoretion project of 1985, t h e Second Fort Walls were reconstructed on t h e i r or iginal foundations t o a height of one stone above ground level for a Length of 20 feet on the southwest and southeast facades.

5. Courthouse (5arracks 1

!*en cmpleted in 1846, the Courthouse was a two-story brick structure 6Qfx 60' with f u l l porches on the east and west faces on each of the two stories and served as a Barracks for the Second Fort.

The basement and foundation were of stone. From basement to garret, a 1s-inch t h i c k brick w a l l (the basement portion was of stonel ran perpendicular t o t h e building" facade dividing each level into two rams of q u a 1 size.

This structure was severely damaged by f i r e in 7849 end rebuilt as only a stor:: and a ha l f En 185 1 ; the in ter ior d i v i d i n g wall had remained i n t a c t . The n e d building possessed a fu l l brick colunned porch on the east and west faces but only on the first floor, A slate roof covered t k e two porches and the buildir: proper in a continuous slope. From t h e da te of cmpletion u n t i l t he cse of t?? st ructure by the Federal Court in 1872, the b u i l d i n g experienced few s t r u c t u ~ : . changes.

?%en the Court mcupied the building in 1872, it began t o change the 3arrac:c to s u i t its needs. To m o d i f y the basement for service as a prison, mall anterooms were b u i l t into the eastern entrances of the two basm,ent ceils. ". . space beneath the broad porches was par t ia l ly excavated and bricked-in to f r l r -

g u a r d l - m s across the eastern and western ends of the cells. On the main floor, the southwest room was divided by rough p a r t i t i o n into offices f o r ti.:. marshal s and clerks. The northeast roan served as the courtroom. F +

United States Department of the Interior National Park Senrice

NaPional Register of Historic Places mcef

Inventory-Nomination Form

C o n t i i o n sheet Fort Smith Itan m r m k 7 W W 5

The Court moved to a new bui ld ing in 1889, and over the nex t two years the Courthouse was extensively remodeled to serve as a j a i l hospital, women's prison, mess fac i l i t i es , and off ice space. ?%is action was designed t o expand the detention faci l i t ies of the ad jo in ing j a i l building, which had recently been constructed. Alterations undertaken a t t h i s t i m e gave the buildlLgfs exterior the appearance it has today . The full-length, brick-columned front and rear porches were almost en t i re ly removed, leaving only those port ions s h e l t e r i n g the original stone steps and the two aain entrances on both facades. These entrance porches both have three slender wood posts w i t h curved Victorian b r a c k t s , tuo wall pilasters, and s o l i d board side ra i l ings . A t the same time, the excavations beneath the porches were f i l l ed in, The structure was extended frm I 7/2 stories to 2 f u l l stories, and a new s l a t e roof was constructed. The four chimney stacks of the or ig ina l building were extended t o acccmmodate t h e increased he igh t of the second floor. Two chimeys are presently located on each of t h e tt-ro ends of t he building. In abdi t ion, there are two ventilators trirrmed with VZctorian brackets on the r idge of the roof.

There is a p a i r of entrance doors on both the southeast and northwest faces of the f irst floor. Tbe frames of these entrznces are original . The basement doors are located in the center of each of t h e two roams on both the southeast and northwest facades. The areaway steps to these doors are stone, and were installed after the old porches were removed in 1890. Neither t h e doors nor t h e frames in these basement entrances are or iginal .

The nindaws of the first and second floors are 7 ' 2 1/211 high. l a en the second story was added, two additional windaws were inserted om the northeast end wa.Ll bebeen the original attic wlndms, and two uinbolAs placed on t h e first f 1 m r under t h e original second floor openings. The basement nindm o p n i n g s on the northrlest and southwest fronts are o r i g ina l . Four a d d i t i o n a l casement windcbrs were inserted i n 1934 i n t o t h e stone ~ r a l l s on the northeast end.

The present i n t e r i o r of the building s h m s the effects of substantial remdelin~ undertaken in 1934, when the Courthouse was converted to cffice space f o r the city of Fort Svith. O r i g i n a l l y , t h e first' flocr co~sisted of tuo large roms, div ided by t h e central brick wall . ' h e northeast room has, rexained a s i n g e r o m ; the southwest reor.1 has been subdivided. A door has been cut into the center of the cen t ra l brick d i v i d i n g w a l l . mere are four o r i g ina l walnut colmns in each half of :k? f i r s t floor. One of the or ig ina l f ireplaces a t the southwest end w a l l k s been closed and t h e other has keen reopened by t h e Park Service; tkose 1;? t k e courtrocm were reopened when t h e room was restored in 1957. The presmt ra?ltels were added as p a r t of t h e restosaticn work and are not based cr! 2 . e original design, which is unknmn.

United States Department at the Interior National Park Service F W M P S W O C ~ ~ - -

'7 National Register of Historic Places wyl Inventory-Nomination Form data+

Continuatiionsheet Fort Smith Itern nwnber 7 Pase 6

The present layout of the second floor icteriar, which dztes from the 1934 remodeling, includes a l a rge room of irregular shape with an overall measurement of approximately 40' x 57' , f lanked by a cluster of smaller rooms and a hallway on the northeast end of t he building. The central brick slall which rmains a t the first f l o o r level was apparent ly removed frm the second floor and replaced by two wood posts i n 1890. The a t t i c space is reached by a t r a p door in the second floor.

The Courthouse basement was, and is, d i v i d e d into kdo equal roans by a stone wall; two modern openings have k e n cut in to this wall. Each roan h a s an entrance door in the center of t h e front and rear w a l l s . F!o cells were constructed when the basement was used as a j a i l . The present f loor ing is concrete; the original, was brick covered with stone and was obliterated when the floor was lowered in the 1934 remodeling. In the northeast roam, the w a l l s have k e n stripped to expose the original rubble stone walls; i n t h e scuthwest roan t h e w a l l s have been covered with plaster. The remodeling also added windows in the northeast end wall and removed t h e four basement fireplaces.

The Courthouse building is in good condition. It has been substant ia l ly al tered since its rebuilding in 3351 ; it stands on its original site.

The basement of t h e Courthouse o r i g i n a l l y served as the j a i l f o r the Dist r ic t Court, but repeated canplaints about the conditions there p m p t e d the c o n s t r u c t i o n of a new J a i l in 1887. The northeast end wall of this J a i l abuts t he southwest end wal l of the Courthouse. The J a i l is b u i l t of red briclc on a cut-stone foundation. A brick-band course is located a t the windm sill level and another a t the window head level. Incorporated i n t o the brick w a l l I s a corbelled and bracketed ornamental brick cornice, increasing the wall to 3' i n thickness at t h a t point. The roof is of s l a t e , replaced in kind in 3983. The roofing system, which consists of a metal framework w i t h concrete panels 14" x 14" on t o which each s la te shingle is wired, is original.

Six tall window openings are located on both t h e southeast and northwest facades. The original i r on bars and aetal w i n d w s were r m v e d frm these openings in 1921. Presently the^ arme six-over-six light sash a t the f i r s t floor level of each of these 15'10n high openings. There is a p o r t i o n of 2cod f i l l e r d i v i d i n g t h i s lmer window frm the upper, which consists of a triple sash o f six-over-SIX-over-six l i g h t s . The 12 long windm openings are tri~aed w i t h quoined ornamentation of rusticated limestone, Mdern additions i n c l u d e Zno windms close to the Courthouse on botl; the southeast and northwest faces, f x o window: in the formerly blank w a l l of t h e southwest end of the J a i l , ~ n d 14 basement windws.

Unfted States Department of the Interior National Park Sewlee

National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form

Continuation shed Fort Smith rZemnmber 7 Pace 7

Of the five ex is t ing ex te r i o r doors in t h e J a i l , only the southeast dooway is an original opening. The 'three doors on the southwest end and the door a t grade level on the northwest face are alterations, dating frm the conversion of the building to office use.

These are b o brick chimneys -- slender, narraw-traisted, typical ly Victorian types--located on each of the two long sides of the building. Two large stacks, remains of the Jail v e n t i l a t i n g system, are located at the junctures of the longitudinal J a i l wails and t h e Courthouse wall.

The interior of the J a i l was o r i g i n a l l y constructed with a central masonry core of cells three tiers high. The tier levels were reached by stairs on the northeast end. The grat ing platforms, which surrounded t h e cell block on the two upper tiers, were enclosed by a high metal gri l le supported by p i p e columns. An open space 5'9" wide separated the outer walls of the jail frm the gri l l ed cel l block enclosure. There were 24 cells on each level, or 72 identical cells in a l l . Each was 5 ' wide by 7 long. The roof was supported by a series of simple iron trusses fabricated of i r o n rods and I-kms. The o r i g i n a l rmf tresses remain in place.

The cell blocks were remwed from t h e interior of the Jail in t921. Around 1923 the bui ld ing was converted to a gymnasim, but substantial alterations d i d not take place until. 1934, when the rubble was entirely removed from t h e building, and a basement excavated, This left the building with a basment, two fa1 floors, and a pa r t i a l floor. The present layout of the interior dates from further rmMeling in 1941, when t h e J a i l was converted into office space for public and civic agencies,

The f i r s t and second floors are divided into r m s opening off long central hallways which extend the length of the building. The floors are of wood and the part i t ions are largely of stud and drywall construction.

7. Cistern

The Cistern sewed as a major water supply of the Second Fort and was buiit about 1865. The Cistern is a stone-lined cylindrical shaft with a s l i g h t l y concave stone floor and a stone-vaulted dme cei l ing with a square opening. The w a l l s , flmrs, and d m are covered; w i t h several coatings of plaster. ?he diameter of the concave floor is 20 feet . The wal l s of the cistern extend vertically a distance of nearly 15 feet frm the floor to the beginning of the dme. The dane, frcm the t o p of t he wall to the central opening, has a depth of approximately 7 feet. A metal cap has k e n ins ta l l ed over the Cistern opening for t h e protection of the resource and park visitors.

PER100 AREAS OF SlGNlFtCANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTPEY BELOW ,PREH~STOR~[: ARCHEOLOGY-PREAISTORiC ,COMMIJNIW P U N NiHG -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE -RELIGION

-1400.1499 ARCHEOLOGY-Hl5 tbRlC ,COHSERWATlOly Xmw -5CIEIYCE -1500-F599 AGAFCULTURE -ECONOMICS

,LITERATURE -SCULPTURE - 1 600- 1 699 A R C H I T ECTWRE ADUCATION XA+ILITARY

-CIA WHUMAHITARIAN -1700.1799 A R T ,ENGINEERIP4G -MUSIC

,THEATER XfB00-1899 -COMMERCE -EXPLOCtATlQN~S~LEMENT -PHILOSOPHY

-'TFANSWRTARON p&1900- -eOMMUNlCATlONS -INDUSTRY -POUTICS!GOVERMMENT

-OTHER (SPECIE*' J I Y V C N T I O N

SPECIFIC DATES 1817-1824; 1835-1871 1871-1890

BWlLQER/ARCHPTECT

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

S m a r y Statement . Fort Smith Rational Historic S i t e meets C r i t e r i a A for l i s t ing 2 the Rational Register of Historic Places. The first For t Smith was established to keep the peace on an uneasy f sontier where t h e usual border problems of Indian-white confl icts were overshadowed by severe clashes between local Tndians and incoming eastern tribes. The second Fort Smfth served as a supply depot for other forts further west and as a pa in t of departure fo r expeditions i n t o the interior. 14hen i ts m i l i t a r y u s e f a n e s 3 ended, Fort Smith k c m e the seat of the U.S. Court for the Liestern District of Arkansas, presided over fo r 21 years by "1Hangint Isaac Parker. Bath as a mili tary inst i tut ion and as a District Court, Fort Smith served for much of the nineteenth century as a bastion of law and order on a turbulent frontier.

then Bvt. Maj. W i l l i a m Bradford arrived at the junction of the Poteau and krkansas k v e r s in 1817, hostilities between t h e Osage and Cherokee Indians were on tbe point of erupting in to open warfare. The intemsts of t he two peoples had been in conflict sf nce 181 3, when a group of Cherokees, leaving the rest of their tr ibe in Georgia and Tennessee, first mwed to the upper Arkansas River country, along the territory of t h e Osage. Bradford's task was to encourage peace. The U. S, Goverm.ent had supported t h e Cherokeest move and planned to have other eastern tribes exchange their lands f o r new hcmes west of ttLe Miss i s s i pp i . I-hile Bradford's men erected a stockaded fort named for 3vt . Brig, #n. Thmas A. Smith, be struggLed to stabil ize relations between Indian n a t i v e s and Indian nmerxners. He also worked t o protect t h e Indians from white squatters and whiskey peddlers . M t e r several years, it became evident that a stronger peace-keeping force was needed, and in 1822 Col. Mathew Arbuckle, c m a n d i n g a battalion of t he Infantsy, replaced Bradford. ArbucRcLe worked closely w i t h Gov. James :.!iller of Arkansas Territory, and in 1622 the Osage and the Cherokee were brought together t o sign t h e Treaty of Fort Smith, which provided for a restoration of peace between the two tribes.

As more eastern tribes were moved into the Indian country west of Fort SRlith, frontier tensions increased. To keep up with the center of conflict, the Fort Smith garriscn was noved in 182e to a s i te 80 miles up the Arkansas where Fort

United States Department of the Interior National Park Senrice - _ ̂ -_

' + & > > National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form

Contimationshed Fort Smith Item number 8

Gibson was established. The old Fort continued to be occupied in te rmi t ten t ly by the government. From 1830 t o 1833, it served as a supply depot for t h e Choctaw Indians and becme the foca l point of the govermentls efforts to prevent the in t roduct icn of l i q u o r into the Ind ian Territory.

*In 1836 Arkansas becme a State and t h e demands of its citizens for protection against possible Indian uprisings caused Congress two years later t o authorize the War Department to build a second F o r t Smith, a larger and more impressive installation next to t h e earl ier f o r t . . . . The Army ultimately modified its p l a n s and made t h e fort a supply depot. Completed and garrisoned i n May 1846, t h e second Fort Smith equipped and provisioned other forts to the west in Indian Territory,

?'Fort Smith was also the base For the first two of Capt. Randolph Flarcyvs exploration and military reconnaissance expeditions. During the C i v i l !.Jar, both the North and South used Fort Snith's supply and hospital fac i l i t i es , but in 1871 the War Deparhent abandoned it.

"That same year t he U.S. Court fo r the Western Distr ict of Arkansas moved from Van Buren to the tawn of Fort S m i t h , which had grmn up adjacent t o the fort. The next year it occupied the abandoned barracks building and subsequently added a second story and jail wing. The court had jurisdiction over part of Arkansas, where State cour t s shared its sphere of author i ty , but its primary influence and author i ty were f e l t in Indian Territory. Although the Indians had their own tr ibal courts, these had no jurisdiction over white men and no other system of lay existed. In 1875 t h e youthful and vigorous Judge Isaac C* Parker, who came to be known as the fianginr ~ u d g e , - arrived a t Fort Smith and tackled the problem of crime i n Indian Territory. For 21 years he dispense6 strift justice w i t h an iron hand. Gradually, however, judicial au thor i ty in Indian Territory was divided among Parker's court, anQ ether Federal courts e t Parks, Texas, and a t Wichita and Fort Scott, Kansas."

In 1880 Parker moved hfs court to a new building near the Fort. S i x years Later, in 1896, t h e Indian Territory received its w n j u d i c i a l dis tr i c t s 2nd courts, and t h e Federal Court f o r the 'rlestern Distr ict los t its jur isdict ion over t he I n d i a n Territory.

'~iobert M. Utley, w n : t . n r i c Places- T m d b n T * ,/ - " i - ' . 'Jol. X I 1 of 00, D. C. : National

Park Service, 1971)t pp. 87-89.

United States Department of the Interior National Park Sewice

-- National Regi,ster-of - Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form Cdimt im hd Fort Smith I t m i ~ n ~ m k 8

The Fort Smith Courthouse and Ja i l continued t o be used in connection with law enforcement in the Indian Territory into the early twentieth century. The Courthouse vacated by Parker s court in 1889, was modified i n 1891 to provide hospital and women's detention facilities for the adjoining Ja i l . The J a i l itself became a Federal prison; after 1898 it held prisoners for the newly created U.S. courts in eastern Okalahma. By 1917, the Ja i l was of f i c i a l ly described as abandoned.

Fort Smith National Historic Site derives its significance from a long-standing, dynanic relationship with Indian Territory. The ear ly f o r t t l a s established to put dcwn the inevitable conflicts that arose when many Indian t r ibes were congregated in an area t h a t formerly accmodated a few nmadic populations. When other forts were established deeper in the Territory to continue t h a t peace-keeping task, t he Second Fort Smith supplied and provisioned them. Fort buildings served as Courthouse, J a i l p n d staff quarters for the Distr ict Court having jurisdiction in the Indian Territory and later as expanded prison facilities f o r t h e U.S. courts w i t h i n the Territory. When Okdahma acquired statehood in 1907, a prolonged frontier period! was over, and not long afterwards Fort Smith's role as protector, peace-keeper, and law enforcer f o r its unusual western neighbor came to an end.

Bearss, Edvfin G. and A.M. Gibson. Fort Smith: LPttle Gibraltar on the Arkansas. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1969.

,Bearss, Edwin G. "The Arkznsas Whiskey War: 1 Fort Smith Case Study." Journal of th -.

West, 7 ( A p r i l , E968), 143-72. -

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA A C R U G E OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 19. 28 UTM REFEREIICES

AM 17I?t0!314101 1 7 a 9 ! ~ r 6 1 8 ~ 8 1 0 J BW P 8 !I 16 14141 NORTHING ZONE E A ~ I M G

DM 1 3 I 7 1 0 l 0 1 1 I 0 ~ VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

The present boundaries of Fort Smith National Historic Site are explfcltly drawn on the enclosed official UPS Boundary Map. For clarity park-owned land is outlined in red.

LIST ALL STATES AND COUMlES FOR PROPERTIES OY ERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE COO€ COUNrY COO€

Arkansas 05 Sebastian 13 1 STATE COOE C O U N ~ CODE

~ F Q R M PREPARED BY NAME l TITLE

ORGAHUAftON DATE National Park Senice

STREET & NUMBER TELEPHONE

P.O. BOX 728 505-988-6787 CITY OA TOWN STATE

Santa Fe, New Hextco •

CERTlFICATION OF NOMINATION STATE HISTOR tC PRESERVATlOH OF FICE'R RECOMMENOATION

Y E L NO- N O N F

STATE TESTOAlC PRESERVATION OFFICER S1GNATURE

In compliance with Exacutiw Order t 1 593,l h b y nominate this prmrty to the National Register. een~fy~ng rhar the Stare Mistoric Prewrvafion O ~ E U ~ has born allowed the nomination to the State Review Board and to

waluatc its signiftaws. ~hs&wluated l e d d S t a t e L m a 4 . FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE SlGNAWRE

INCCUDED IN-THE

KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGFSTER . ~

m - 1 - . . t. O*#mIOPlr-OOW;-q

+ 0.gl Exp. *B.

United Strtea Department of the lnterior Natlonal Park Senrice

National Register of Historic Places I ~nventory-Nomination Form

Continuation M Fort Smith ltemmrmbr 9

Dollar, Clyde D. The First Fort Smith Report. Unpublished M5 an f i l e a t National Park Service, Southwest Regional Office, Santa Fe, N . M . 1966,

Frazier, C. Craig and Ivey, James E. nHistoric Structure Report; Restore - Historic Cmissary Building t o 1897r' Unpublished MS on file a t National Park Service, Denver Service Center, Denver, a, 1985.

Paige, John C. J k l & m r . u & r e e v : Fort Ai th

-, Denver : Denver Service Center, National Park Service, 1981.

Shirley, Glenn. L a West d Fort 3njLh: A J i h h p of Fs- , Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press,

1968. SlroIa, Leslie L. Wistoric Structures Report, Courthouse and Jail-Wing,

Architectural Data Sectf on. Fort 3nit;h National Historic Site . lt Unpublished MS on f i le a t National Park Service, Denver Service Center, Denver, Co. 1977.

Utley, Robert M. m i c P P a a a - . . . Val. I2

of National Swvey of Historic Sites and Suildings, Washington, LC. : National Park Service, 197 I 1, pp. 87-89,

United States Department of the Interior Natlonal Park Senrice

--- National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form ~ o n t ~ i n s t . l e e t msi-ni-th item n u m b 10

~ & a ~ ~ ~ F o r t & t h M a ~ H i s ~ S i t e - ~ O T r A p d 1977, the h x d a r y of the National Wgisbx prqerky is mUhd jn red.

TTE anzi artlined in prple a~ attached E p F o r t E3nith National Historic S i t e - S q r m t 02, is included in the park' s autbrized Ixrthasmtbeeflacquired. ~ F o r k S n i t h N a t i O n a l ~ r i c S i t e L a n d -tion Plan prop- that tk National Park M e M l C e t its interest in this to a d easemmt.

s-s and feat33Y.e~ t h a t a m t d h t e ! to ttae q m u t k s that m k I l k area Natimal R q i W g i b l e me locat& on t h e enclosed map S m d in t b Eb* Smi th National. Historic Si& leaflet.

Fort Smith National Historic Site

',' 5 iTEE STATES Urn: Zone 15

SCALE 1.29WC

CONTOUR IKTEFVP,t 20 FEET v.-cl:r I ,"I= .-: -, . .-. PIEPffE'.' YALF.I'!TERVP? C ~ - . ' I J F ~

-1ONAL GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM OF 1929

MhF COUPLIES WlTH IYATiONAL MAP ACCURACY STANOaRES ;i, : .... . - + - . . . - ', :. --:'F :n- : .c: :, rrf Gt:l:~.ca 5 J-+ F I S T

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TlBlNG TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS AND SYMBOLS IS AVAlLABLE ON REQUEST