United states, arkansas, sebastian, fort chaffee military history periodicals. The clayton house, built in the 1850s, has coalburning fi replaces in eight rooms and intricate woodwork. Former german pow tours old fort chaffee prison camp. Local history books on arkansas arcadia publishing. The chaffee genealogy, embracing the chafe, chafy, chafie, chafey, chafee, chaphe, chaffie, chaffey, chaffe, chaffee descendants of thomas chaffe, of hingham, hull, rehoboth and swansea, massachusetts. A walkable showcase of history, highlighting the role fort chaffee played in. The encyclopedia of arkansas history and culture list of pensioners on the roll january 1, 1883 sebastian county, arkansas source. In the early 1990s, the arkansasbased walmart merchandise chain, founded by arkansan sam walton in 1962 as a smalltown discount store, became the largest retailer. Fort chaffee is a military training facility established in 1941 as part of the plan to double the u.
Clayton house serves as a living history book of fort smiths elegant victorian period. Announcing the index arkansas project funded by the happy hollow foundation of fayetteville. In 1971, arkansas and oklahoma joined in the arkansas river navigation system, a project that developed the arkansas river basin to provide water transportation to the mississippi. The forgotten story of how refugees almost ended bill. The post served as an armored division training base and a prisonerofwar pow camp during world war ii. It is utilized by all department of defense components and a variety of local, state, and federal agencies for maneuver training, live fire exercises, river crossing operations, and urban combat training. The base was closed following the 1995 base realignment and closure commission round. Their presence in arkansas created social and political tension widely thought to have had an impact on the arkansas governors race of 1980. Gray made an extensive effort to locate all the burial sites within the boundaries of the city of fort smith. Tours of this museum are included with tours of the chaffee barbershop museum.
Fort chaffee refugees libguides at university of arkansas. The following cemeteries are located in sebastian county. Frustrated with the conditions many refugees rioted, 62 refugees were injured some by gunfire and 46 others were arrested. Fort smith sebastian county encyclopedia of arkansas. Visitors are able to walk the grounds and tour original buildings where thous downtown historic plaques. United states army training center field artillery, fort chaffee. To the point about the year 1975, we did not locate anything yet for that specific year. Hunter had to have a cherry vanilla soda which is cherry syrup in soda with vanilla ice cream. History of the great court at fort smith, arkansas. Fort smith is the secondlargest city in arkansas and one of the two county seats of sebastian county.
Established as camp chaffee in 1941, renamed to fort chaffee in 1956, fort chaffee has served as a united states army base, training camp, prisonerofwar camp, and refugee camp. Until august 2008, the military denied its use of agent orange at fort chaffee, arkansas. Mystery building fort chaffee arkansas usa youtube. Field artillery part 2 army lineage series compiled by janice e. Roughly 25,000 of these cuban refugeescalled marielitos because they had departed cuba from the port of marielwere housed for a time at fort chaffee in sebastian county.
Us army training center yearbook fort chaffee, ar, class of 1951, page 7 of 168 has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. Fort chaffee maneuver training center is an army national guard installation in western. Visitors are able to walk the grounds and tour original buildings where thousands of soldiers. Run tenant background checks, credit checks, eviction history, and more. Lawmen, farmers, bluecollar workers, civic leaders, and creative business owners built a hub of culture, health care, transportation, and enterprise. The fort chaffee collection brings together two donations of materials relating to cubans who arrived in the u. The chaffee barbershop museum in fort smith, arkansas, doesnt look like very much from the outside in fact, its located inside the original camp chaffee barbershop. The mission of the encyclopedia of arkansas project as stated on its web site is to collect and disseminate information on all aspects of the states history and culture and to provide a comprehensive reference work for historians, teachers, students and individuals for the purpose of promoting the study, understanding, and appreciation of arkansass heritage.
After a promise of quick release many processing setbacks occurred and many refugees remained still detained at the center. Chaffee, arkansas and use of agent orange as weed killer in 1975. Aside from the reserve soldiers, it occasionally hosts active soldiers, but for small amounts of time. Combat training was initiated at camp chaffee in 1941 and most of the major buildings on the site were completed by the following year. The collection, located in room 7 of the boreham library, is noncirculating and may be used by the public as well as the university community. Pebley historical and cultural center collection was established in 2003 and focuses primarily on the early history of fort smith and the immediate surrounding counties. Us army training center yearbook fort chaffee, ar, class of 1957, page 23 of 96 has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. Chaffee jr, who was an artillery general and decorated world war one veteran. In late 1995, the federal government declared 7,192 of fort chaffee s 76,075 acres to be surplus and turned the land over to the state. Slave narratives are stories of surviving slaves told in their own words and ways. History and records 7th armored ordnance maintainace battalalion 16th ad 19421953 by lt.
Fort chaffee, arkansas, near fort smith, arkansas, is named in his honor. Fort chaffee army base in fort smith, ar fort chaffee, arkansas is located in the northern part of the state and serves as a training installation for army reserve soldiers and national guard. Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of fort chaffee within 20 miles 32. The fort smith museum of history has its own soda fountain an arkansas tradition that should be celebrated, and often. Fort chaffee was established in western arkansas in september 1941. On april 15, 2014 the arkansas national guards new fort chaffee combined arms. Historic attractions experience fort smith arkansas. Fort chaffee redevelopment authority fort chaffee history. However, according to web reports, in 2011, the va admitted to testing agent orange at fort chaffee in 1966, 1967, and 1968. This is an incomplete list of archival collections concerning the history of refugees at fort chaffee, arkansas. For some rock n roll fun, visit the fort chaffee barbershop museum at old fort chaffee. I came across this while out with my dog, i am not sure what its purpose was i thought maybe an old military bunker or maybe a shelter for animals but.
Originally designated as camp chaffee, the site included 72,000 acres of predominantly farmland. United states army training center field artillery d battery, 3rd battalion, 1st regiment, fort. The museum of chaffee history houses the largest collection of fort chaffee artifacts in the. The fort chaffee story is largely forgotten by the general public, but its a good bet that some governors havent forgotten its political lessons, david a. Hidden history of fort smith, arkansas by ben boulden the history. Fort chaffee joint maneuver training center fcjmtc fort chaffee joint maneuver training center is a 65,000 acre premier training site near fort smith, ar. Front cover for the book history of fort smith, arkansas 18172003 by fred. Field artillery b bsttery 1st battalion 2nd regiment fort chaffee arkansas. Also certain lineages from families in the united states, canada and england, not descended from thomas chaffe.
The story involves rooster cogburn being hired by mattie ross, a 14yearold girl from dardanelle, to track down her fathers killer and return him to fort smith to be hanged by judge isaac parker. Mckenney center of military history united states army washington, d. Fort chaffee white pages phone books in arkansas ar. S army in size in preparation for the events of world war 2. Early in the history of arkansas and the city, fort smith was an important point of contact to the american west. See more ideas about arkansas, fort smith and fort smith arkansas. Chaffee barbershop museum fort smith, arkansas atlas.
Fifth armored division camp chaffee ar 1952 photos. Weather service, the hottest day in fort chaffee history at 115 degrees fahrenheit. Fort chaffee joint maneuver maneuver training center is one of the primary training sites for the arkansas army national guard. Encompassing 30 acres of cityowned land, it is the final resting place of over 100 marshals, deputies, and courtappointed officials, the founder of fort smith, an arkansas governor, 15 fort smith mayors, 122 confederate soldiers, and at least 28 outlaws. For decades now, concerned veterans and civilians have been questioning the testing of agent orange at fort chaffee, arkansas, in 1966 and 1967, as well as the residual effects of this deadly chemical. Chaffee died of cancer on august 22, 1941, in boston, massachusetts. Camp chaffee expansion listed on national register of. As he stepped through brush and moss and trekked through a nowremote part of fort chaffee, friedrich paused at a concrete floor in the middle of a thicket. This two year project is intended to help update the online index of journals, bulletins and historical resources. The arkansas state library provides library and information services to state. The fort chaffee crisis occurred when during the mariel boatlift in 1980 when over 19,000 cuban refugees were detained at fort chaffee. List of books and articles about arkansas history online.
If you ever lived in fort smith, arkansas facebook pictures. They make sodas and such from soda water and syrup even their cokes. With an estimated population of 87,845 in 2018, it is the principal city of the fort smith, arkansasoklahoma metropolitan statistical area, a region of 298,592 residents that encompasses the arkansas counties of crawford, franklin, and. Established in september 1941 as camp chaffee in sebastian county, arkansas. The evolution of fort chaffee since the 1940s and the addition of the arkansas air national guard in the 1950s also shaped the economy and patriotism of the area.
Hidden history of fort smith, arkansas by ben boulden books to read, my books. Recognized as a national historic landmark, the oldest monument in oak cemetery dates to 1842, the same year fort smith was incorporated. This arkansas state page of our website provides direct links to major databases and historical titles and information found on arkansas genealogy and history, whether they exist on our site, or across the web. However, it seemed you had to be very familiar with military campaigns, officers, history of arkansas to make sense of most.
Museums in chaffee fort chaffee redevelopment authority. See more ideas about fort smith arkansas, fort smith and arkansas. We found 18 books set in fort smith and 4 others set nearby. This was a weekly newspaper published from may december 1975 by the 50th public information detachment at fort chaffee for the refugees housed there. There were some 3,000 german pows there between 1942 and 1946. Fort chaffee and vietnamese and cuban refugees, 19751982. Army bbs results fort chaffee arkansas korean war project. The reception center at arkansass nowclosed fort chaffee was the site where elvis presley had his hair cut when he joined the army in march 1958. The remaining 66,000 acres were turned over to the arkansas national guard for use as a training facility. Yet buried beneath fort smiths infamous past are forgotten stories, untold tales, and little known facts concealed just below the citys historical. History of the great court at fort smith, arkansas frank l.
To see arkansas largest variety of victorian architecture, tour the belle grove historic district. Training opportunities at fort chaffee maneuver training center, fort chaffee, arkansas, august 2008. The story of a city at the fort smith museum of history. The m24 chaffee light tank is later named after him. Internet archive the old fort at fort smith source. The chaffee crossing historic district is a walkable showcase of history that echoes the vital role that fort chaffee played in american military history beginning in wwii. Chaffee crossing is a premier mixeduse community located in fort smith and barling, arkansas. Hidden history of fort smith, arkansas by ben boulden, paperback. On september 28, 1995, fort chaffee became a subinstallation of fort sill. Fort chaffee maneuver training center is an army national guard installation in western arkansas, adjacent to the city of fort smith. Search our online phone book to find phone numbers, addresses, and more.
1120 1552 718 173 855 821 1316 1308 905 571 654 1239 1172 468 583 757 1312 141 966 1003 249 1247 215 610 1111 1225 1241 1220 120 1503 1475 152 778 928 510 122 925 966 687 463 1075 852 509 1237 1398