Old Fort Smith Commissary: A Frontier Supply Hub

The Old Fort Smith Commissary, located at 111 Rogers Ave, is a tangible link to the city's frontier history. Built in 1838, the commissary served as a vital supply depot for the U.S. military, storing food and provisions for troops stationed at Fort Smith and other forts in the Indian Territory. Its construction marked a shift, transforming a bastion into a crucial logistical center.During the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the commissary became one of the busiest supply posts in the Southwest. The building also played a role during the Civil War, changing hands between Union and Confederate forces. After the Civil War, from 1865 to 1868, it served as a field office for the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, assisting formerly enslaved people and refugees. Judge Isaac C. Parker even used part of the second floor as his office from 1875 to 1890.In 1910, a group of local women saved the building from demolition and established the Old Commissary Museum, Fort Smith's first history museum. The National Park Service acquired the building in 1961, and it now houses exhibits that tell its story. Visitors can explore the building and learn about its various uses throughout its nearly two centuries of history.