Fort Smith, Arkansas - December 27th, 2016
Cross the border into Fort Smith, Arkansas for lunch and sightseeing and take a SE view down Garrison Ave toward Immaculate Conception Church
Across from Landry's is the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce
Next is the First Nation Bank and Home Health Hospice
Try to eat at Landry's but it's closed for lunch during the holidays
So get a green chile cheeseburger with oatmeal stout at Bricktown Brewery
Just a block away from Bricktown is the Fort Smith National Historic Site
Fort Smith was started in 1817 for peace between the Osage & Cherokees
The Fort saw little action but was a major supply post for both sides
A 12ft high wall 2ft thick once surrounded the fort
Alex poses on a reproduction of the wall
The fort then served as the Federal Court for Western Arkansas
The Barracks, Courthouse & Jail were built in 4 stages over time
Erin is ready to check out the jail first, where is the entrance?
Go around the opposite end and find the Visitor Center entrance
No, you don't need a gun to enter the women's bathroom
It was a barracks, courthouse, jail, hospital & historic site over 150 years
The girls start on the ground floor and find the jail heater is not working
Plenty of beds if you feel like taking a nap
Erin gives it a try but just can't seem to get comfortable
Is it a jail within a jail or where the guard keeps overwatch?
Alex is ready to move on to the next floor
Head upstairs to the 2nd floor to find how the jail once looked inside
The building was gutted for other uses in the early 19th century
Deputies carried a pistol & rifle along with their badge
The girls check out the jails and wonder if the top floor a has better view
A bunk with no mattress is equally comfortable to the ground floor
Metal cage cell with toilet to the right
The girls check out a spacious 6x4 foot cell
Alright, we are ready to move on and out of here now, daddy
Erin continues being part of the displays
George Maledon was a paid guard and did executioning as a hobby
The 3rd floor is dedicated to the executioning judge, Isaac Parker
Parker was a lawyer, judge and US Representative for Fort Smith
The restoration is based on a photo taken on his 2nd courtroom
Parker's restored 6th Street courtroom used from 1890-6
Parker's desk & chair used at the US House of Representatives, 1871-5
Parker sentenced more people to hang than any other judge in US history
Photo of Cherokee Bill with his captors prior to being hanged
A drawing of Cherokee Bill's hanging is displayed at the gallows outside
A model of the Fort at the turn of the 20th century
The other national parks in Arkansas worthy of visitation
Exit the Visitor Center and head to the fenced in gallows
Ricky reads up on the executions performed at these gallows
A sketch of the execution of Cherokee Bill on March 17, 1896
Parker sentenced 160 people to hang of which 79 men did
Alex checks out the trap doors below with room for six bodies
Erin, Alex and Jerry prefer to keep their feet on the ground!
Step outside and view the back entrance to the gallows and parapet
Pavers mark the spot of the original wall with a few entry blocks
Circle the compound to the foundation of the officer's quarters
A dome shaped cistern 22ft deep stored 55K gallons between the quarters
The flag staff was nearly 100ft so the flag could be seen for miles
Several poles were lashed together like a ship mast to acquire the height
The officer's garden provided a healthy addition to their daily diet
Flower beds were well tended and added to the beauty of the grounds
The Commissary Building is the oldest standing building at Fort Smith
Built between 1838 and 1846 and housed supplies for the Mexican War
The Federal Court converted the Commissary to a living quarters in 1872
The 2nd Floor was Judge Parker's office from 1875-90
Rescued from demolition in 1909 and made a history museum until 1979
The 2nd floor was entered from wooden steps outside the building
I didn't bring my ladder so did not investigate the 2nd floor
The outer wall outline continues to the Guard house on the left
Soldiers drilled on the parade ground for more than 30 years
The covered patio was once a guardhouse from 1849-71
The guardhouse later served as a women's jail and Death Row, briefly
One of three parapets along Fort Smith's wall
The northeast facing side of the Fort Smith Historic Courthouse
A cannon off to the right of the courthouse
A replica Napoleon cannon, which was designed in 1853
Because the Commissary must be protected from thieves!
Circle around the west facing side of the historic courthouse
Collect the girls waiting at the Visitor Center entrance
And continue on with a final view of the east facing courthouse side
Pass by the center parapet on the way to the parking lot