Haunted Places in Fort Smith, AR: 6 Places You Can Visit or See
The Hanging Judge’s courtroom and gallows, the home of his prosecutor, a riverside bordello and an opera house with an actor who never left. Fort Smith wears its frontier past, ghosts included.
Fort Smith sat on the border of Indian Territory, and for twenty years the federal court of Judge Isaac Parker made it the end of the line for outlaws from across the territory. Its haunted places grow out of that history: the courthouse and jail, the prosecutor’s mansion, the brothel district that served the town, and the opera house across the river in Van Buren. We have checked each one and say where the ghost stories are staff accounts, local lore or simply unrecorded.
The Fort Smith Museum of History runs a Murder and Mayhem haunted trolley tour each October, with actors playing Judge and Mrs. Parker. For a full night of ghost hunting, Haunted Rooms runs events at the King Opera House in Van Buren, five miles away; see the event page for dates.
Where to look Backstage, the shadows of the auditorium and the lights
Reported ghosts Actor Charles Tolson in a top hat and cape, and a woman in white
Visiting Working theater; see a show or join our ghost hunt
Ghost hunting Haunted Rooms runs public ghost hunts here
The building on Van Buren’s Main Street opened in 1891 as the Wallace Block and became Colonel Henry King’s opera house in 1901. It survived a 1914 fire, became a movie house named for hometown comedian Bob Burns, closed in 1974, and was bought and restored by the city. Today it hosts plays, concerts and community events.
Its ghost is said to be Charles Tolson, a touring actor shot by Dr. William Parchman after he learned his teenage daughter planned to leave town with Tolson’s company; Parchman was acquitted. Former staff describe a young man in a top hat and cape who vanishes when approached, footsteps and lights that switch on overnight. A 2023 documentary also tells of a woman in white. Haunted Rooms runs ghost hunts here.
Haunted Rooms tip: See the event page for our next ghost hunt night, or catch a show to see the auditorium.
Where to look Judge Parker's courtroom, the basement jail known as Hell on the Border, and the gallows
Reported ghosts A bearded man in a dark suit before the bench, and a man crying in the empty jail
Visiting Visitor center in the old barracks, courthouse and jail; grounds open daily
Hours and season Visitor center 9 AM to 5 PM daily; gallows 9:15 AM to 4:45 PM; grounds from 30 minutes before sunrise to 11 PM
Tickets Free entry
Ghost hunting No ghost hunting; a National Park Service site
Two frontier forts stood here on the Arkansas River, the first from 1817. The 1851 barracks later held the federal court of Judge Isaac C. Parker, who presided from 1875 to 1896 over a district that reached deep into Indian Territory. His court tried more than 13,000 cases, and 79 men went to the gallows under his sentences. The courtroom, two jails and a reconstructed gallows are open to visitors.
The stories center on Parker and the condemned. A cleaner described a heavyset, bearded man in a dark suit sitting before the judge’s bench late at night, and visitors speak of footsteps, cigar smoke and a feeling of weight near the gallows. A ranger who worked here for 14 years told a podcast he heard a man crying in the empty lower cell block. These are personal accounts; the park itself does not promote ghost stories.
Haunted Rooms tip: Go late in the afternoon, finish at the gallows, and walk the riverside Trail of Tears exhibits as the light fades.
Address 514 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901
Where to look Mr. Clayton's study, the second-floor bedroom and the upstairs landing
Reported ghosts A woman in a brown skirt, an angry man in black and unseen footsteps
Visiting Guided tours of the house museum
Hours and season Tuesday to Saturday noon to 4 PM, Sunday 1 to 4 PM; closed Mondays
Ghost hunting No public ghost hunts; the house is a museum and event venue
The house began as the Sutton home in 1852, was used as a hospital during the Civil War, and about 1882 became the home of William Henry Harrison Clayton, the federal prosecutor in Judge Isaac Parker’s court. He doubled it in size and raised six daughters and a son here. It later spent decades as a boarding house, was saved from demolition in 1969, restored over seven years and opened as a museum in 1977.
Former director Martha Siler told 5NEWS she saw the apparition of a woman in Mr. Clayton’s study, and staff and visitors describe boots stomping, doors slamming and music in empty rooms, with a second-floor bedroom that unsettles people most. A local group, Paranormal Investigation and Research of Western Arkansas, has investigated many times and reports voices on its recordings. These are staff and visitor accounts, not documented events.
Haunted Rooms tip: Ask your guide which bedroom upsets people, then walk four blocks to Miss Laura’s on B Street.
Reported ghosts A woman in a white gown, laughter, cigar smoke and a phantom piano
Visiting Free guided tours of the museum (ages 16 and up)
Tours Free guided tours; the Fort Smith Museum of History’s October trolley tour passes by
Tickets Free
Ghost hunting No public ghost hunts
Built in 1896 as the Riverfront Commercial Hotel, this green Victorian house near the river was bought in 1898 by Laura Ziegler, who reopened it in 1903 as the finest of the seven brothels on Fort Smith’s Row. Bertha Dean ran it from 1911 until her death in 1948. Saved from demolition in 1963, it became the only former brothel on the National Register in 1973 and was the city’s visitor center from 1992 to 2024. It is now a museum.
Ghost stories told about the house include cold spots, the smell of cigars and brandy in the parlor, laughter, a woman in a white gown upstairs and a piano heard playing. They come from local ghost lore and tour stories rather than any record. Fort Smith’s Halloween trolley tour has long passed the house.
Haunted Rooms tip: Tours are free for ages 16 and up; pair it with the Fort Smith National Historic Site three blocks away.
Where to look The third floor, the basement and the second-floor Parker furniture
Reported ghosts A child heard running and playing, and a gavel striking
Visiting History museum downtown
Tours Murder and Mayhem haunted trolley tour in October, starting at the museum
Ghost hunting No public ghost hunts
The oldest working museum in Arkansas fills the 1906 Atkinson-Williams Warehouse, a four-story brick building across from the national historic site. Its collections cover the city’s frontier, court and railroad past, and some of Judge Parker’s furniture is on display on the second floor.
A former executive director has described hearing a child running and playing on the third floor, the voice moving from corner to corner with nobody there. Investigators report sudden chills in the basement and a gavel heard on the second floor. The museum leans into the stories each October, when its Murder and Mayhem haunted trolley tour starts here with actors playing Judge and Mrs. Parker.
Haunted Rooms tip: Book the October trolley tour early; it starts with a look at the museum’s haunted areas.
Address Chaffee Crossing, 7020 Taylor Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72916
Where to look The World War II barracks blocks
Reported ghosts Footsteps, whispers and cold spots in the old barracks
Visiting Public streets through the historic district; most buildings are private or in use
Ghost hunting No public ghost hunts; do not enter buildings without permission
Camp Chaffee was carved out of 15,000 acres east of Fort Smith in 1941 and trained armored troops through World War II. Elvis Presley got his first Army haircut here in 1958, and the post later processed more than 50,000 Vietnamese refugees in 1975 and 25,000 Cubans after the 1980 Mariel boatlift, when a riot broke out. A block of 44 wartime barracks is on the National Register, inside the Chaffee Crossing redevelopment.
Ghost Adventures filmed at Fort Chaffee for a November 2010 episode, and stories from the old post tell of footsteps, whispers and cold spots in empty buildings. Most of the old buildings are private or in use, so treat this as a drive through history rather than a place to go inside.
Haunted Rooms tip: Drive the historic district streets by day; do not enter empty buildings.
Visiting a haunted place by day is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through a historic building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and vigils, and gives you time to explore on your own. These are the nearest ones we run.
Visited one of these places? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from visitors and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your visit. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most haunted place in Fort Smith?
Fort Smith National Historic Site, with Judge Parker’s courtroom, the Hell on the Border jail and the gallows, has the most famous stories. The Clayton House, home of Parker’s prosecutor, has the most staff accounts.
Is the Clayton House haunted?
A former director said she saw a woman’s apparition in Mr. Clayton’s study, and staff report footsteps, slamming doors and music in empty rooms. It is open for guided tours Tuesday to Sunday afternoons.
Can you visit Miss Laura's in Fort Smith?
Yes. The 1896 former bordello, the only one on the National Register, is now Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum with free guided tours for ages 16 and up.
Are there ghost tours in Fort Smith?
The Fort Smith Museum of History runs the Murder and Mayhem haunted trolley tour each October, starting at the museum and winding through the Belle Grove district.
Where can I go ghost hunting near Fort Smith?
Haunted Rooms runs public ghost hunts at the King Opera House in Van Buren, five miles from downtown Fort Smith.
Is Fort Chaffee haunted?
Ghost Adventures filmed there for a 2010 episode, and stories tell of footsteps and whispers in the old barracks. Most buildings are private or in use, so see the historic district from its streets.
Sources and how we research
Every place in this guide is checked against its official website, historic register listings and news coverage, and we confirm whether it is open, closed, private or gone before we list it. Ghost stories are reported as staff, visitors and local historians tell them; we say so where records contradict a story.
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every place in our guides using official sites, historic registers, local archives and news coverage, and we report ghost stories as the stories they are. We review each guide regularly so you are not sent to a place that has closed, changed hands or banned visitors. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
