Archeological Investigations Conducted in Support of the Fort Smith Barracks/Courthouse/Jail Rehabilitation

Archeological investigations were conducted at Fort Smith National Historic Site as part of mitigation measures for site development. Excavations were undertaken around the exterior of the courthouse/jail complex and in the vicinity of the guardhouse site. The guardhouse site was found to have been destroyed by later Fort Smith town-building activities. The excavations around the courthouse/jail complex recovered evidence of the original galleries and porches that once existed on either side of the original Army-era barracks, which was converted to a Federal Courthouse in the late nineteenth century. Additional recordation was done on the interior of the courthouse/jail when modern fill was removed during the rehabilitation efforts. The locations of two large fireplaces dating to the original building construction were recorded, as was a later furnace and boiler room feature.