Ever wonder where the large concrete arch in front of the Bricktown parking lot came from? Or the ornate arch in front of the ferris wheel at the west end entrance of Garrison Avenue? Answers are in the new photographic history book, “Stained Glass, Chalk Boards and Cash Registers of Fort Smith,” by Wayne Bledsoe, John Lehnen and Jim Kreuz.
The book pays homage to 129 vintage churches, schools and commercial buildings in Fort Smith, and features old and new photographs of the structures and a well-researched history of each. Also included are photos taken inside more than two dozen of the buildings, including 10 churches that are over a century old.