FORT SMITH - After a temporary tax fell short of support with area voters, developers of the U.S. Marshal’s Museum in Fort Smith are now turning to crowdsourcing to try to address the financial shortfall that stands between them and completion of the project.
The Museum began a GoFundMe page earlier this week, organized by longtime Fort Smith resident Jennifer Seaton-Rambo, who is a member of the project’s “Building The Future” committee. According to the page, the goal for this current campaign is $2,000,000 - of which $1,880 had been raised as of Wednesday morning.
The museum is facing a $15.3 Million shortfall, which the campaign addressed as the “greater goal” in eventual fundraising efforts.
“From the Northern District of California to the District of Maine, the home of America’s star – The United States Marshals Museum - will be located on what the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) refers to as “sacred ground” in Fort Smith, and the home of the USMS Western District of Arkansas,” the Committee said via the page. “As we prepare to dedicate the building and Hall of Honor on the banks of the Arkansas River on September 24, 2019, in honor of the 230th anniversary of the USMS, please consider funding the experience!”
Construction began on the project in July 2018.