Archeological Investigations Conducted in Support of the Fort Smith Barracks/Courthouse/Jail Rehabilitation

Douglas D. Scott; William J. Hunt, Jr.

Archeological Investigations Conducted in Support of the Fort Smith Barracks/Courthouse/Jail Rehabilitation

Author(s): Douglas D. Scott; William J. Hunt, Jr.

Year: 2000

Summary

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.

Cite this Record

Archeological Investigations Conducted in Support of the Fort Smith Barracks/Courthouse/Jail Rehabilitation. Douglas D. Scott, William J. Hunt, Jr.. Midwest Archeological Center Technical Report ,No. 68. Lincoln, Nebraska: Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service. 2000 ( tDAR id: 376088) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8JH3KW4