Return to the Commissary
by September 15, 2010 10:09 am 92 views
Concluding a year of special exhibits and events in celebration of its centennial, the Fort Smith Museum of History will present Return to the Commissary, a re-creation of the museum when it occupied the Old Commissary Building from 1910 to 1979. Using photographs and interviews, artifacts will be arranged to create the look and feel of the Old Commissary Museum. Often described as “dark and dusty,” the exhibit will help long time residents and museum members recall their own memories of the very special museum.
Established in 1910 by a group of women’s organizations, the original purpose of the museum was to save the commissary building from demolition. As the oldest building in the city and only one of two buildings left standing from the second Fort Smith, the ladies recognized the historic value of the building. Now a part of the Fort Smith National Historic Site, the building has been fully restored to represent its original purpose. Since 1979, the Fort Smith Museum of History has occupied the Atkinson-Williams Warehouse Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Take a step back in time and Return to the Commissary with an opening reception on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 5:00 p. m. at the museum, 320 Rogers Avenue. The reception is free and open to the public. Please call for more information, 479-783-7841.