Building begins on Marshals Museum

FORT SMITH — More than 11 years after Fort Smith was designated as the home the national museum of the U.S. Marshals Service, construction began Thursday on the 53,000-square-foot building on the banks of the Arkansas River, museum officials announced.

Work now will focus on completing what is being called the Mary Carlton and Robert A. Young III building for opening Sept. 24, 2019, the Marshals Service’s 230th anniversary.

Museum board Chairman Doug Babb said in a news release officials were excited the years of planning, design and fundraising were culminating in the museum’s construction. The $58.6 million museum will be a boost to tourism and the economy in Fort Smith, he said.

“We are making great strides and are energized to build this iconic museum, of which all Americans can be proud,” Young, the museum foundation chairman, said.

The museum and its 1,000- item collection will feature five galleries, according to the museum news release: Defining Marshals; The Campfire: Stories Under the Stars; Frontier Marshals; A Changing Nation; and Modern Marshals.

The museum also will include the Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor to recognize marshals killed in the line of duty, a National Learning Center, conference rooms, general office, retail space and a large lobby for community gatherings.

The museum also will feature an exterior dining area, green space, a full- service restaurant and a plaza donated by the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma that will feature an original sculpture by Cherokee-Pawnee artist Dan HorseChief.

Of the $58.6 million project cost, about $17.8 million remains to be raised. Construction of the museum building is estimated to cost about $32 million. The remaining costs will pay for exhibits, endowment, furniture, fixtures, equipment, contingencies and first-year operating expenses.

“We are making great strides and are energized to build this iconic museum, of which all Americans can be proud.”

—Robert A. Young III, museum foundation chairman