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Fort Smith National Historic Site
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
A photo of a building in historic Fort Smith
Part of historic Fort Smith
A map of the United States showing the location of Fort Smith National Historic Site
Red pog
Location Sebastian County, Arkansas & Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, USA
Nearest city Fort Smith, Arkansas
Coordinates 35°20′36″N 94°25′22″W / 35.34333°N 94.42278°W / 35.34333; -94.42278Coordinates: 35°20′36″N 94°25′22″W / 35.34333°N 94.42278°W / 35.34333; -94.42278
Area 75 acres (30 ha)
Established September 13, 1961
Visitors 86,122 (in 2011)
Governing body National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/fosm/index.htm
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Designated October 15, 1966
Reference no. 66000202[1]
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Designated December 19, 1960

Fort Smith National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located primarily in Fort Smith, Arkansas along the Arkansas River, and also along the opposite bank of the river near Moffett, Oklahoma.

The site was established in 1961 in order to protect the remains of two 19th-century U.S. military forts, including a building which once housed the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Fort Smith was also notable as a major stop along the "Trail of Tears." It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.[1][2]

JUDGE PARKER'S COURTROOM

The courtroom of "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker

The park visitor center is now located in the old Barracks/Courthouse/Jail building. Exhibits in the visitor center focus on Fort Smith's military history from 1817 to 1871, western expansion, Judge Isaac Parker and the federal court's impact on Indian Territory, U.S. Deputy Marshals and outlaws, Federal Indian policy, and Indian Removal including the Trail of Tears.

Located on the grounds are the foundation remains of the first Fort Smith (1817–1824), the commissary building (c. 1838) and a reconstruction of the gallows used by the federal court. A walking trail along the Arkansas River includes wayside exhibits on the Trail of Tears.

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The original article can be found at Fort Smith National Historic Site and the edit history here.