Gift puts $5 million in U.S. Marshals Museum coffers

U.S. Marshals Museum officials announced a $5 million gift Thursday, less than a week before the museum's Fort Smith groundbreaking.

Jim Dunn, president and chief executive officer of the museum, said the anonymous gift is the largest the museum has received. He said the gift brings the total raised to about $20 million. The capital goal is $50 million.

"It moves us to the next level, and it will be a big plus for us as we continue our fundraising efforts," Dunn said. "It provides momentum for our groundbreaking next week."

A groundbreaking is scheduled for Wednesday on the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Marshals Service, according to a news release. The 50,260-square-foot museum will house three main galleries with 20,000 square feet of exhibition space. The site is near the banks of the Arkansas River.

The museum also will exhibit the Hall of Honor, where the names and stories of U.S. marshals killed in the line of duty will be honored. More than 250 marshals have been killed since the service started in 1789. About 130 of those died in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

A significant portion of the U.S. Marshals Service's history is believed to have occurred in Fort Smith, where marshals headquartered in the city once chased outlaws in Indian territory.

The city was selected as the site for the museum in 2007 by the U.S. Marshals Service, the release states.

Dunn said the groundbreaking will mark the beginning of site preparations along with the architectural and exhibit design for the museum. He said construction will not begin on the 15.9-acre site until more money is raised.

"We hope to start reasonably soon," Dunn said about construction. "There are a lot of pieces to put together before we can do that."

Brick-and-mortar costs for the museum are about $25 million, Dunn said. He said other funds will be spent on exhibition fabrications, endowments and other expenses.

The museum could receive up to $5 million from the sale of commemorative coins from the U.S. Mint. The coins are planned for release in early 2015.

"We will continue to fundraise until we reach our goal," Dunn said.

NW News on 09/19/2014

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