U.S. Marshals Museum hosts VIP grand opening Thursday

U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis spoke at a VIP opening ceremony, Thursday, June 29.

"We have to embrace our history, and make sure that we are now prepared to pass the baton to another generation that will carry the legacy on," Davis said.

The U.S. Marshals Museum is an attraction that will not only honor the Marshals Service, but also attract business and industry to the Arkansas River Valley, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday in Fort Smith.

The VIP sneak peek of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith brought the governor, U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack and other dignitaries to witness what has been more than 16 years in the making.

Sanders spoke at the ceremony about the importance of the museum.

"It won't just be a delight for tourists. It's the exact kind of cultural attraction that businesses look for when they are searching for new places to invest," Sanders said.

More: U.S. Marshals Museum opens to the public in Fort Smith

The U.S. Marshals Museum opens to the public at 789 Riverfront Drive Saturday, July 1 and will preserve the stories and history dating back to 1789, and explain the mission of the U.S. Marshals Service in today's world. It will be open late Tuesday, July 4 as well.

The doors will have swung open after decades of work for a museum that tells about a part of American law enforcement history.

The opening of U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, brings to a close a decades-long fundraising drive and lots of volunteer work and interest that has poured in from across the nation.

With a Saturday ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled at the museum, 789 Riverfront Drive, the latest attraction in the north Fort Smith museum and entertainment district will be open to paying customers.

Benjamin Johnson, the museum's director, said he is excited for the community.

Sanders also praised the Marshals Service for their work over the decades and she talked about their mission in the years to come.

"There's a reason the marshals chose Fort Smith for this honor. At its birth, this city was the last stop of civilization before you entered the Wild West," Sanders said. "U.S. Marshals rode out from Fort Smith to enforce the law on the frontier. That history won't be near the only thing these exhibits show. Because U.S. Marshals have never been satisfied with old frontiers."

She said the U.S. Marshals Service was on the front lines of the civil rights movement, defending the Civil Rights Act and worked to integrate schools and businesses. The Marshals Service was there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and other natural disaster.

"They are there with our Supreme Court justices and cabinet officials safeguarding our leaders in these politically charged times. The next time there is a new frontier that needs protecting, you can rest assured that the marshals will be there as well," Sanders said.

Mayor George McGill said, "What a great day in Fort Smith, Arkansas."

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas dignitaries visit U.S. Marshals Museum