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

The doors 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.

"After 16 years of official work on the project and a couple of years before that for some folks here in the community, thinking and dreaming about this day ... you know, we are pushing two decades of hopes and dreams that are now finally coming to fruition here. As excited as I am, I am more excited for the members of my staff and the board and the community that have really supported this thing for decades and are finally getting to see the fruits of their labors," Johnson said. "It's an awesome moment and I really just can't wait to share this building and this story with the world."

On Thursday, state leaders arrived for a preview of the museum and a sneak peek before the grand opening. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis, and Fort Smith Mayor George McGill joined Johnson, museum board chairman Doug Babb, museum foundation chairman Laurice Hachem and others at the VIP opening ceremony.

Davis spoke at a VIP ceremony for state and national leaders Thursday at the museum. Davis said he was impressed with the wall that honors fallen deputy marshals that is part of the museum exhibits.

"When you walk by this hall of honor, this wall, remember the sacrifices," Davis said.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, a Fort Smith native, said he knows the history of the U.S. Marshals Service in the frontier west.

"I know many of you here today and throughout this community are descendants of marshals," Boozman said. "Unfortunately my ancestors were not. They are more likely the people the marshals and forefathers were looking for."

More: U.S. Marshals Museum opening July 1 in Fort Smith

The museum "will tell the story of our nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency from its establishment by President George Washington through current day. The Museum will honor the sacrifice of Marshals killed in the line of duty, as well as those who continue to place their lives in harm’s way, as they enforce the Constitution," according to a statement about the opening.

What to see at the museum

During the 16 years of fundraising, design, construction and the installation of exhibits, numerous people from across Arkansas and the country worked to open the museum — including volunteers, staff, community leaders and elected officials.

The museum is about 53,000 square feet and was completed in 2020.

"The Marshals Museum story really ... though a lot of people thought over the years this is going to be a Fort Smith-centric museum or a Judge (Isaac C.) Parker Wild West era museum ... we tell the full story of the United States Marshals Service from its founding with the ratification of the Constitution in 1789 all the way up to the present day," Johnson said. "We get a chance to talk about the whole of American history, alongside the Marshals Service ... the good, the bad and the ugly."

The museum's permanent exhibits are impressive, he said and have wowed the crowds so far.

"It's going to be fun," Johnson said. "We can't wait to greet the crowds."

U.S. Sen. Boozman said, "This museum really is a shining star and I'm proud and grateful of everyone who had a roll in making it possible," Boozman said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: U.S. Marshals Museum opens in Fort Smith