Back to
MWAC Publications
68. Archeological Investigations Conducted in Support
of the Fort Smith Barracks/Courthouse/Jail Rehabilitation.
Scott, Douglas D. and William J. Hunt, Jr.
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.
|