Grounds Stop IX
The Frisco Station Depot NPS Photo The Frisco Station Currently, the Frisco Station houses the offices of the United States Marshal Museum. A new facility is planned to be constructed in the near future. “The new station at Fort Smith, Ark., is the most imposing of any of the new structures. It replaces an old wooden station and it is situated a block further west at the corner of Garrison Avenue.” The Railroad Gazette, August 5, 1904. When the contractor Anderson & Company of St. Louis completed the building in 1904, it was an imposing structure for a town with a population of only 23,500. The building is constructed of limestone blocks cut smoothly to resemble grey marble. The blocks were quarried in Carthage, MO, and transported to Fort Smith. Built in the Greek style, tall iconic columns originally supported the portico on the north side of the building but were removed in the mid 20th century to make room for bridge expansion. The main Waiting Room was a spacious 26 feet by 36 feet 3 inches. The interior of the building was finished with hard pine and cypress rubbed with oil. 
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Did You Know?
The conditions at the federal jail at Fort Smith were so horrible that it received the nickname "Hell on the Border." Up to 50 men were crowded into one large cell with limited ventilation and poor sanitary conditions.