The U.S. Marshals Museum on Monday announced that the Robbie Westphal family has completed the transfer of 16.3 acres of property to the museum.
According to a news release from the museum, the transfer included 10 acres more than initially offered, allowing for better parking and additional amenities. The property is along the Arkansas River just outside downtown Fort Smith.
Fort Smith businessman Bennie Westphal, son of the late Robbie Westphal, said in the release that his family has deep ties to western Arkansas and the U.S. Marshals Service. One of his ancestors served as a deputy marshal in Fort Smith.
"My mother, Betsy Westphal, and my sister, Robin Clegg, and I are very honored to be able to donate this property to the U.S. Marshals Museum," he said.
Museum President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Dunn said there was no better location for the museum than the place where deputy marshals crossed the Arkansas River into the Indian Territory, over which the Marshals Service had jurisdiction in the 19th and early 20th century.
The property still is subject to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation easement for channel alignment, the release said. The museum is working with the Corps of Engineers' regulatory and real estate division on a plan to allow construction on the site.
The museum is raising the estimated $50 million to build the museum and develop the exhibits.
NW News on 09/15/2015