Old Sebastian County Jail

One of my all-time favorite locations in the Fort Smith area has to be the old Sebastian County Jail. The Jail operated on the top two floors of the Sebastian County Courthouse, which was constructed by the PWA in 1937. Architects E. Chester Nelson, T. E. Bassham, and Carnall Wheeler designed this courthouse as a replacement for the previous courthouse that was demolished at the same site. The Sebastian County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

As I sat down to interview Deputy Chief Kevin Nickson of the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, I showed him the photographs of the old jail I had stored on my phone. He reminisced about the short time he worked in the old jail. Nickson smiled and said, “Wow! The old jail is a lot cleaner now than while I was there. There were about 80 prisoners held there with only two or three guardsmen on duty at the time. Inmates were let out of the cells for exercise but were only allowed to walk down their cell block hallway.” He continued, “I didn’t care what they were in for. If they gave me respect, I would give that respect back.” Nickson also said that he’s only one of the few who works in the sheriff’s office that had worked at the old Sebastian County jail back in the early 90s.

As I’ve stated above, the old jail is one of my favorite locations. Photographing it is very pleasing as the walls of the jail are painted with very bright colors. I’ve toured the jail several times, and it’s fascinating to hear stories about it. For example, I’ve heard that some of the inmates would sneak contraband and food in by pulling a rope to the jail from accomplices outside the courthouse. Now, whether that’s true or not remains a question. It does make a good story, though. One of the stories that is factual is that chains were used on some of the prisoners. I know this story is true from one of the tours I’ve experienced. One of the maintenance crew members escorted me to a very dark one-room cell block that had shackles chained to the floor.

Due to overcrowding of the former jail, Sebastian County built a new detention center in 1995. It is still currently in use and includes both an adult and juvenile center. The old Sebastian County jail remains closed off and is partially used for county records.

Gallery Below of Old Sebastian County Jail – Ft Smith

If you wish to support our current and future work, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our many books. Any and all donations are appreciated.

Donate to our cause Check out our books!