Fort Smith National Historic Site - Fort Smith, Arkansas

One of the most significant historic sites in the nation can be found on the banks of the Arkansas River in the historic old city of Fort Smith.

Fort Smith National Historic Site preserves what remains of the historic fort that defended the frontier for more 50 years along with structures associated with the Judge Isaac C. Parker and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Parker was known even in his lifetime as the "Hanging Judge" of Fort Smith and the deputies who operated under his jurisdiction brought law and order to the Old West and inspired such films as John Wayne's "True Grit" and "Rooster Cogburn" and Clint Eastwood's "Hang Em High."

Largely because the Parker years generate so much interest, many people do not realize today that the old fort played a key role in the Civil War. Both Union and Confederate troops occupied it at various stages of the war and it was a strategic focal point for both armies as they struggled to control both western Arkansas and the Indian Nations of what is now Oklahoma.

Over the next few posts, I will focus on Fort Smith and its role in the Civil War so I hope you will check back every day or so to learn more about one of my favorite cities and favorite historic sites in the nation. You can also learn more any time at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortsmith.

Memorial Day, Part Three

Continuing our Memorial Day weekend look at Fort Smith National Cemetery, this is the grave of Isaac C. Parker, the noted 19th century federal judge for the Western District of Arkansas.

Parker was the city attorney for St. Joseph, Missouri, when the Civil War began in 1861. Although he served in the 61st Missouri Emergency Regiment, he continued his duties as a public official throughout the war. In 1864 he was a member of the Electoral College that returned President Abraham Lincoln to office for a second term.

Parker served two terms in Congress (1870-1874) as a Radical Republican and in 1875 was appointed U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas by President U.S. Grant.

Judge Parker's jurisdiction included the Indian Territory of what is now Oklahoma. Numerous outlaws migrated to this region following the Civil War, believing they would be safe from justice. The peaceful inhabitants of the region were easy prey for these murderers and thieves and for years they had operated virtually unchallenged. Parker, however, assumed his bench with a commitment to bring law and order to the area.

His tenure on the bench at Fort Smith gained for him notoriety as the "Hanging Judge" of the Old West. Although he personally opposed the death penalty, Parker sent 79 convicted outlaws to the gallows in Fort Smith. It was the only sentence allowed by law in a number of the cases that came before his court. What is rarely mentioned, however, is that nearly as many of Parker's deputy marshals lost their lives in the line of duty to bring those 79 men to justice.

The days of Judge Parker's court provided the basis for such books and movies as True Grit, Rooster Cogburn and Hang 'Em High.

Judge Parker is buried in grave number 4000 at Fort Smith National Cemetery.

Our series will continue.

Fort Smith - The Old Barracks

Continuing our look at Fort Smith National Historic Site, this brick structure is the highly altered barracks building of the old fort. Located inside the five-sided walls of the fort, the barracks were used by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War.

The U.S. garrison of the fort abandoned the post in the spring of 1861 after receiving word that an overwhelming force of state militia was coming to seize the works. State troops then occupied the barracks briefly. When Arkansas joined the Confederacy, Fort Smith became a Confederate post and the barracks were occupied by Confederate troops. Southern soldiers remained here until 1863 when the post was abandoned ahead of a Union advance. The barracks were then used by Federal troops until the end of the war.

Fort Smith remained a military post until 1871, when it was abandoned. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas then made use of the barracks structure, adding a second floor and attaching a new wing, visible here in the left of the photograph, containing a much improved Federal jail.

The structure now contains the visitor center of the national historic site, along with the restored courtroom of "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker. Among the exhibits are displays on the fort's Civil War history.

We will continue our look at Fort Smith over the next few days and you can also learn more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com (just scroll down to the Index and look for the links under the Arkansas section).