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Haunted Fort Smith & Van Buren
Outlaws, lawmen, soldiers and those on the Trail of Tears all passed through the Fort Smith and Van Buren area. Some of those restless spirits remain. Past residents of the "Hell on the Border" jail, which now serves as the visitor's center, make life interesting for employees. At the Clayton House, a ghostly man in a black suit attends weddings uninvited. Residents near the Fort Smith National Cemetery report eerie blue lights hovering over grave markers. A pipe smoker is seen walking the grounds at the Drennen-Scott House. A small girl in Victorian dress is often seen playing among the tombstones at Fairview Cemetery. Author Bud Steed delves into the spectral history of the Arkansas-Oklahoma border.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
About the author
Bud Steed
18 books10 followersBud Steed, author of the Haunted Natchez Trace, Haunted Mississippi Gulf Coast, Haunted Baton Rouge and two new series, America’s Ghosts and America’s Lost Treasures, devotes his time between writing, photography, and historical research into potentially haunted sites and lost legends. A self-described “history geek”, his focus on the history of the allegedly haunted areas and the personal histories of those who lived and died there, has enabled him to gain a unique perspective into the reported hauntings of some of the historical sites and areas that he has investigated and written about. In addition, his research skills have proven useful in tracking down and trying to prove the facts behind local, regional and national legends which has led to the book Lost Treasures of the Ozarks. A naturally inquisitive person, his combination of historical research and the collecting of folk stories related to hauntings and lost legends, have resulted in three of his books being accepted to, and included in, the Library of Congress.
Bud has been researching and investigating the paranormal for nearly 30 years and is the current Co-Director and Investigation Manager for The Ozarks Paranormal Society (TOPS) and the co-founder of Lost Legends Research and Investigation. In 2011 Bud assisted TOPS with the investigation of the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield and the historic Ray House. This was the first time that a paranormal investigation team had been issued a federal permit to legally access the battlefield and historical buildings for the purpose of an overnight investigation. The investigation produced interesting results and captured the attention of the Travel Channel who filmed a second investigation for their series, Legends of the Ozarks; the second investigation produced even more startling evidence of hauntings at Wilson’s Creek.
In addition to appearing at book signings, events and lectures, Bud has been seen on the Travel Channel’s Legends of the Ozarks show and has recently participated in several other film projects, one concerning the Natchez Trace and the other the Mark Twain National Forest; both are scheduled to air on the Travel Channel in 2016. Bud is a 5th generation Freemason and member of Ash Grove Lodge #100 AF&AM. He currently resides in Southwest Missouri with his wife, four children and two Pitbull’s named Dixie and Clyde.
Bud has been researching and investigating the paranormal for nearly 30 years and is the current Co-Director and Investigation Manager for The Ozarks Paranormal Society (TOPS) and the co-founder of Lost Legends Research and Investigation. In 2011 Bud assisted TOPS with the investigation of the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield and the historic Ray House. This was the first time that a paranormal investigation team had been issued a federal permit to legally access the battlefield and historical buildings for the purpose of an overnight investigation. The investigation produced interesting results and captured the attention of the Travel Channel who filmed a second investigation for their series, Legends of the Ozarks; the second investigation produced even more startling evidence of hauntings at Wilson’s Creek.
In addition to appearing at book signings, events and lectures, Bud has been seen on the Travel Channel’s Legends of the Ozarks show and has recently participated in several other film projects, one concerning the Natchez Trace and the other the Mark Twain National Forest; both are scheduled to air on the Travel Channel in 2016. Bud is a 5th generation Freemason and member of Ash Grove Lodge #100 AF&AM. He currently resides in Southwest Missouri with his wife, four children and two Pitbull’s named Dixie and Clyde.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 25, 2018
81st book read in 2018.
Number 145 out of 741 on my all time book list.
I really enjoyed the authors narrative style.
Number 145 out of 741 on my all time book list.
I really enjoyed the authors narrative style.
January 5, 2025
As I've noted elsewhere, Fort Smith could easily be considered THE original, OG Wild West border town, and it has the stories to prove it - including some pretty fascinating ghost stories, some of which I've heard about since childhood. My family has had a presence in Fort Smith for more than a century, which explains at least in part some of my continued fascination with this tenacious town with a fascinating history, which time has seemingly passed by, although I myself have many fond memories there as well.
That's not a criticism, by the way. It's perhaps for this reason that its spirit residents still hang about - quite a bit of this fair city is probably still recognizable to them, as it's one of the places where the present lives in relative harmony alongside its colorful past.
That said: author Bud Steed gets around! He's an ideal candidate to write this book, as he's traveled extensively all over the South to conduct paranormal investigations, over the course of thirty years. What I liked most about this book, in addition to the personal anecdotes of the persons involved, was the emphasis on events and personal histories of the people who inhabited the areas before they ostensibly became the spirits who still occasionally visit their old haunts, pardon the pun.
Steed is the current co-director and investigation manager for The Ozarks Paranormal Society (TOPS). As such, he has quite a lot of firsthand knowledge of the area. He's also done some groundbreaking work, including getting permission to investigate the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, making his the first team to be issued a federal permit to legally access the site and historical buildings specifically for the purpose of conducting an overnight paranormal investigation.
As he notes, in particular about Judge Parker's courthouse in Fort Smith, which has been designated as a federal National Historic site, typically, employees aren't even supposed to acknowledge that any paranormal activity has taken place there, so getting official permission for a formal investigation is quite a feat. He did get some of them to speak of their harrowing experiences, off the record, at least, which is likewise a laudable effort, as it offers readers information they would likely never hear of otherwise, and some of the stories are indeed unsettling.
The fact that some spirit activity is fairly commonplace isn't surprising. As I've written elsewhere, Fort Smith certainly has a colorful and storied past, so it's an ideal place to do some ghost hunting. First: it's a very old settlement indeed, especially considering how far west it was when it was technically founded, in 1817, on a strategically-situated site at the confluence of the huge Arkansas and more diminutive Poteau rivers.
The original settlement site, known as Belle Point, served as the location of a crude fort, of which only a few vestigial remains can still be seen, primarily some sections of the original stone walls and the foundations of some of the old buildings. Fort Smith was the western-most frontier military post in the nation at the time, in fact, which also served as a center of fur trading.
Prior to European settlement, however, the area was frequented by various indigenous peoples, the remnants of which can still be seen. Perhaps the most well-known prehistoric site is located in what is now the southern-most part of the city - the famous Cavanaugh Mound, which is similar to the more well-known Spiro Mounds complex located just a few miles to the south, in what is now Oklahoma. It's been surprisingly neglected, but admittedly, it was located on - and still is, in fact - private property, so formal excavation has been slow. Efforts are now underway to preserve it and to document it properly.
The entire region was acquired by the United States government as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The area was initially explored by the Pike Expedition, led by the US Army, which was contemporaneous with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In the earliest phase of settlement, little more than a wooden stockade was built and occupied on the Belle Point site, but only from 1817-1822. The site was subsequently abandoned in 1824, when US troops moved 80 miles further west to Fort Gibson.
The city as it is now owes its existence to one John Rogers, who has a major street named after him. He purchased the former government land with the intent of yet again establishing a civilian settlement on an admittedly strategically-significant site. The settlement grew substantially during one of the most tragic events in our nation's history: during the removal and relocation of various indigenous nations, most notably the eastern bands of Cherokee and Choctaw in the 1830s, the government yet again established a military outpost there, as several tribes were being re-settled in Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma, just across the river. Several important battles also occurred at or near Fort Smith during the Civil War as well, and many of the soldiers who died are interred at the local cemeteries.
Entries in this book include The Clayton House, a fabulous Italianate-style mansion in the city's historic Belle Grove district, the Old Fort Courthouse and Fort Site, the aforementioned National Historic Site, the adjacent Fort Smith National Cemetery (where eight of my family members, including my grandparents, are now laid to rest), the Fort Smith History Museum, also located adjacent to the National Historic Site in an old, nineteenth-century brick building, the Massard Prairie Battlefield, and Fort Chaffee.
Van Buren entries include the nineteenth-century King Opera House, one of two original opera houses in the town, the beautiful Fairview Cemetery, where many early residents are laid to rest, a reportedly-haunted Super Eight motel even I've heard stories about (!), when my aunt and grandmother lived in Van Buren for a few years, the Drennen-Scott house, another historic home with an intriguing past, and the Crawford County Courthouse, which is located on the town's historic and very picturesque Main Street. In fact, this street where the King Opera House and the courthouse are situated was recently featured in the movie "Broken Trail."
I'm kind of surprised that a number of events and locations weren't included in this rather short volume, however. Several locations on historic Garrison Avenue are reported to be haunted, especially the area around the Texas Corner, the intersection of Garrison and Towson Avenues. Some have speculated that it's because this area experienced some of the worst destruction during one of the most tragic events in the city's history. In January, 1898, the Great Fort Smith Cyclone destroyed much of the downtown area on Garrison Avenue's east end, including the original Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (the current large brick one was built on the same site in just a year and a half, and was completed in 1899). Fifty-five people died, and more than a hundred were injured, but several more subsequently died, having never recovered from their injuries - in one case at least, years later.
There's another rather famous haunted house I'm surprised didn't make it into this volume as well. The beautiful brick house is also located in the Belle Grove historic district. It's privately owned, but if you want to drive by, it's located at 708 N 7th St. It's hard to miss. It was for sale not too long ago, so you can find photos of the interior online. The Blair-Amis House, known as "The House That Began As a Secret," was built in 1895. It was meticulously restored to resemble a home of the late nineteenth century in 2003, and the two men who took on the project spared no effort or expense.
According to a large bronze plaque placed at the front door, the builder, William Blair, was the president of the American National Bank in Fort Smith, and also had interests in a local lumberyard and flour mill. In September, 1898, he secretly began construction on this new home, which was intended as a Christmas present for his wife. How someone could keep the secret that they were having an opulent new brick home built just a few streets over is beyond me, but it apparently worked! Blair reportedly took his wife for a carriage ride on Christmas eve, departing from their modest house over on 3rd street, and ended up at the new home where he revealed his secret gift!
William Blair tragically died unexpectedly just a few short years later, in 1903, and the Blair House was shortly thereafter sold. It was then purchased by Dr. James Amis. He, his wife Jane, and five of their children lived in the home. The last surviving member of their immediate family, son Dr. James Westerfield Amis, passed away in the house in 1970. It is reported that at least four of the Amis family members' funerals were held in the house's front parlor over the years.
The home was eventually purchased by a pair of investors in 2003, who meticulously renovated it to the way in which it now appears. It was awarded the Fort Smith Frontier Achievement Award the following year. The house is also now on the National Register of Historic Places. With regard to it being reportedly haunted: a large bronze plaque near the front door states that "even after the passage of more than a century, the house is reputed to be inhabited by the spirits of Mary and William Blair, its original owners. The rustle of petticoats can sometimes be heard on the back stairway and the distinct aroma of cigars occasionally detected near the fireplace in the parlor." I think the home has been formally investigated by Steed's group as well, at one point, but additional investigations may not be forthcoming for some time, as the house remains a private residence.
That said: even if you're not into ghost hunting, both of these very underrated towns are definitely worth a visit. You may be able to see just about everything there is to see in just a day or two, but it's definitely worth a stopover if you're in the area. And, if you are into the paranormal, this book is a good introduction to some of the towns' most well-known, reportedly-haunted sites to get you started. You can also talk to some of the locals, especially along historic Garrison Avenue, who are bound to tell you some stories of their own! Happy hunting!
That's not a criticism, by the way. It's perhaps for this reason that its spirit residents still hang about - quite a bit of this fair city is probably still recognizable to them, as it's one of the places where the present lives in relative harmony alongside its colorful past.
That said: author Bud Steed gets around! He's an ideal candidate to write this book, as he's traveled extensively all over the South to conduct paranormal investigations, over the course of thirty years. What I liked most about this book, in addition to the personal anecdotes of the persons involved, was the emphasis on events and personal histories of the people who inhabited the areas before they ostensibly became the spirits who still occasionally visit their old haunts, pardon the pun.
Steed is the current co-director and investigation manager for The Ozarks Paranormal Society (TOPS). As such, he has quite a lot of firsthand knowledge of the area. He's also done some groundbreaking work, including getting permission to investigate the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, making his the first team to be issued a federal permit to legally access the site and historical buildings specifically for the purpose of conducting an overnight paranormal investigation.
As he notes, in particular about Judge Parker's courthouse in Fort Smith, which has been designated as a federal National Historic site, typically, employees aren't even supposed to acknowledge that any paranormal activity has taken place there, so getting official permission for a formal investigation is quite a feat. He did get some of them to speak of their harrowing experiences, off the record, at least, which is likewise a laudable effort, as it offers readers information they would likely never hear of otherwise, and some of the stories are indeed unsettling.
The fact that some spirit activity is fairly commonplace isn't surprising. As I've written elsewhere, Fort Smith certainly has a colorful and storied past, so it's an ideal place to do some ghost hunting. First: it's a very old settlement indeed, especially considering how far west it was when it was technically founded, in 1817, on a strategically-situated site at the confluence of the huge Arkansas and more diminutive Poteau rivers.
The original settlement site, known as Belle Point, served as the location of a crude fort, of which only a few vestigial remains can still be seen, primarily some sections of the original stone walls and the foundations of some of the old buildings. Fort Smith was the western-most frontier military post in the nation at the time, in fact, which also served as a center of fur trading.
Prior to European settlement, however, the area was frequented by various indigenous peoples, the remnants of which can still be seen. Perhaps the most well-known prehistoric site is located in what is now the southern-most part of the city - the famous Cavanaugh Mound, which is similar to the more well-known Spiro Mounds complex located just a few miles to the south, in what is now Oklahoma. It's been surprisingly neglected, but admittedly, it was located on - and still is, in fact - private property, so formal excavation has been slow. Efforts are now underway to preserve it and to document it properly.
The entire region was acquired by the United States government as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The area was initially explored by the Pike Expedition, led by the US Army, which was contemporaneous with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In the earliest phase of settlement, little more than a wooden stockade was built and occupied on the Belle Point site, but only from 1817-1822. The site was subsequently abandoned in 1824, when US troops moved 80 miles further west to Fort Gibson.
The city as it is now owes its existence to one John Rogers, who has a major street named after him. He purchased the former government land with the intent of yet again establishing a civilian settlement on an admittedly strategically-significant site. The settlement grew substantially during one of the most tragic events in our nation's history: during the removal and relocation of various indigenous nations, most notably the eastern bands of Cherokee and Choctaw in the 1830s, the government yet again established a military outpost there, as several tribes were being re-settled in Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma, just across the river. Several important battles also occurred at or near Fort Smith during the Civil War as well, and many of the soldiers who died are interred at the local cemeteries.
Entries in this book include The Clayton House, a fabulous Italianate-style mansion in the city's historic Belle Grove district, the Old Fort Courthouse and Fort Site, the aforementioned National Historic Site, the adjacent Fort Smith National Cemetery (where eight of my family members, including my grandparents, are now laid to rest), the Fort Smith History Museum, also located adjacent to the National Historic Site in an old, nineteenth-century brick building, the Massard Prairie Battlefield, and Fort Chaffee.
Van Buren entries include the nineteenth-century King Opera House, one of two original opera houses in the town, the beautiful Fairview Cemetery, where many early residents are laid to rest, a reportedly-haunted Super Eight motel even I've heard stories about (!), when my aunt and grandmother lived in Van Buren for a few years, the Drennen-Scott house, another historic home with an intriguing past, and the Crawford County Courthouse, which is located on the town's historic and very picturesque Main Street. In fact, this street where the King Opera House and the courthouse are situated was recently featured in the movie "Broken Trail."
I'm kind of surprised that a number of events and locations weren't included in this rather short volume, however. Several locations on historic Garrison Avenue are reported to be haunted, especially the area around the Texas Corner, the intersection of Garrison and Towson Avenues. Some have speculated that it's because this area experienced some of the worst destruction during one of the most tragic events in the city's history. In January, 1898, the Great Fort Smith Cyclone destroyed much of the downtown area on Garrison Avenue's east end, including the original Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (the current large brick one was built on the same site in just a year and a half, and was completed in 1899). Fifty-five people died, and more than a hundred were injured, but several more subsequently died, having never recovered from their injuries - in one case at least, years later.
There's another rather famous haunted house I'm surprised didn't make it into this volume as well. The beautiful brick house is also located in the Belle Grove historic district. It's privately owned, but if you want to drive by, it's located at 708 N 7th St. It's hard to miss. It was for sale not too long ago, so you can find photos of the interior online. The Blair-Amis House, known as "The House That Began As a Secret," was built in 1895. It was meticulously restored to resemble a home of the late nineteenth century in 2003, and the two men who took on the project spared no effort or expense.
According to a large bronze plaque placed at the front door, the builder, William Blair, was the president of the American National Bank in Fort Smith, and also had interests in a local lumberyard and flour mill. In September, 1898, he secretly began construction on this new home, which was intended as a Christmas present for his wife. How someone could keep the secret that they were having an opulent new brick home built just a few streets over is beyond me, but it apparently worked! Blair reportedly took his wife for a carriage ride on Christmas eve, departing from their modest house over on 3rd street, and ended up at the new home where he revealed his secret gift!
William Blair tragically died unexpectedly just a few short years later, in 1903, and the Blair House was shortly thereafter sold. It was then purchased by Dr. James Amis. He, his wife Jane, and five of their children lived in the home. The last surviving member of their immediate family, son Dr. James Westerfield Amis, passed away in the house in 1970. It is reported that at least four of the Amis family members' funerals were held in the house's front parlor over the years.
The home was eventually purchased by a pair of investors in 2003, who meticulously renovated it to the way in which it now appears. It was awarded the Fort Smith Frontier Achievement Award the following year. The house is also now on the National Register of Historic Places. With regard to it being reportedly haunted: a large bronze plaque near the front door states that "even after the passage of more than a century, the house is reputed to be inhabited by the spirits of Mary and William Blair, its original owners. The rustle of petticoats can sometimes be heard on the back stairway and the distinct aroma of cigars occasionally detected near the fireplace in the parlor." I think the home has been formally investigated by Steed's group as well, at one point, but additional investigations may not be forthcoming for some time, as the house remains a private residence.
That said: even if you're not into ghost hunting, both of these very underrated towns are definitely worth a visit. You may be able to see just about everything there is to see in just a day or two, but it's definitely worth a stopover if you're in the area. And, if you are into the paranormal, this book is a good introduction to some of the towns' most well-known, reportedly-haunted sites to get you started. You can also talk to some of the locals, especially along historic Garrison Avenue, who are bound to tell you some stories of their own! Happy hunting!
June 26, 2019
I enjoyed this book! I loved the history behind the different hauntings and incidents that the author mentioned. I love reading about history from around the area and my husband and I love watching paranormal activity shows/movies. The author was a great story-teller and I enjoyed his sense of amusement and joy that comes across from his research. Great read for those of us in the River Valley!
August 4, 2020
I didn't really learn a lot new. I wish it had been written by someone locally.
June 15, 2025
A great book for anyone interested in paranormal and/or local history.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews