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.作为场地开发配套文物补救措施的一部分，考古调查工作在史密斯堡国家历史遗址（Fort Smith National Historic Site）开展。考古发掘覆盖了法院/监狱综合体的外围区域，以及岗楼遗址周边地带。经调查确认，岗楼遗址已被后世史密斯堡城镇建设活动彻底损毁。本次针对法院/监狱综合体外围的发掘工作，出土了原陆军军营两侧原有廊台与门廊的遗迹证据；该陆军军营于19世纪末期被改造为联邦法院（Federal Courthouse）。在修复工程清理现代回填土期间，研究团队额外对法院/监狱建筑内部开展了记录工作，记录了两处始建于建筑初始建造阶段的大型壁炉的位置，同时也记录了后世增设的熔炉与锅炉房遗迹。