• Rifle Regiment arriving at Belle Point, 1817. Artwork by Michael Haynes

    Fort Smith

    National Historic Site AR,OK

First Bloom Garden Design Contest

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Date: May 4, 2010
Contact: Keri Powers, 479-783-3961

The National Park Foundation is sponsoring a First Bloom garden design contest to pick the best garden design from 26 entries from National Parks around the country.  Girls Incorporated of Fort Smith has an entry in the contest and is hoping that the community will help them win the top prize of a $15,000 trip for the girls to plant a First Bloom garden in one of the great National Parks such as Grand Canyon, Yellowstone or Mount Rushmore.  Girls Incorporated has partnered with the Fort Smith National Historic Site and their entry is the only one from Arkansas or Oklahoma.

Superintendent Bill Black from the Fort Smith National Historic Site states, “We would love to see our local girls who have worked so hard over the last year win this contest, but we have to get the vote out and we need the public’s help” To see Fort Smith’s design and to vote in the contest go to www.First-Bloom.org and click on the Garden Design Contest. You will be asked to vote on your top five favorites.  Voting started April 26 and continues through May 26 and you can vote as often as you wish.

For the last 10 months the girls have been meeting every Wednesday to learn about heirloom gardening and native plants and recreating an 1860’s family garden at the Fort Smith National Historic Site. As part of a 2009 grant from the National Park Foundation, each girl has their own vintage 1860's dress, apron, and bonnet to wear while working in the garden.  The garden is located between the Commissary Building and the large flagpole on the parade ground and is open to the public.

A major goal of the National Park Foundation’s First Bloom program is to connect under-served urban youth to their National Parks through native plantings and gardens. The First Bloom project is a grant that is made possible through the National Park Foundation.

For more information contact Girls Incorporated at 479-782-0622 or the Fort Smith National Historic Site at 479-783-3961.

Did You Know?

Parker seated at his bench in 6th Street courtroom

The only known image of Judge Parker in his courtroom is this one from the federal courthouse on Sixth Street which dates from the 1890s.  There are no photographs of the courtroom located in the former military barracks.