A new national museum celebrating the entire history of the US Marshals Service rises like a badge embedded in the banks of the Arkansas River at the exact location where 1800’s frontier marshals launched from Fort Smith to pursue outlaws in the Oklahoma Territory….and legends were made.
The challenge was telling the entire story, not just its frontier chapter. Founded on September 24, 1789, by George Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency to reflect that mission’s breadth, the design sought to create a modern, iconic national landmark through symbolism. Throughout any era, the lasting image of US Marshals is that five-point badge. The Museum rises as abstract points of the Marshals’ badge from the banks of the same Arkansas River Marshals crossed, pointing toward the Oklahoma Territory. Each point shelters key functions at appropriate heights. Zinc clad roofs symbolize modern Marshals, while rusted Corten steel soffits evoke the past, as if a long-buried badge was unearthed. Inside, the Great Hall soars 40 feet, offering similar sweeping river views marshals witnessed in pursuing justice. Thousands of lit stars in rusted soffits honor all who served. Galleries follow an interactive timeline: To Be a Marshal, Frontier Marshals, A Changing Nation, and Modern Marshals. 2,000 artifacts include Frontier, Civil Rights era, Domestic Terrorism items, and badges and guns used across eras.
The museum stands as a powerful tribute to their legacy—illuminating a story many are only beginning to fully understand.
