Exhibits

The U.S. Marshals Service is a small federal agency with a big history. Delving into its past is like opening the pages of a textbook on American history. The richness of this story was an asset in developing the exhibits for the new U.S. Marshals Museum, but it was also a problem—how can all of these stories be winnowed down to get at the essence of the Marshals and what they stand for? After much discussion, the exhibit team determined that the one thing they wanted visitors to leave the museum knowing is that the U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for protecting the American system of justice. What is the best way to ensure that every visitor leaves with that understanding? In this instance, the best way to achieve that goal and still allow visitors choices as to how they structure their museum experience was to make sure that message was infused throughout the exhibits.

From that starting point, the stories of the Marshals Service began to shape themselves into three distinctive, but related galleries. The first, titled A Changing Nation, looked at some of the most pivotal social issues in American history and the Marshals’ role in these events. To help visitors better understand the underlying connection between all of these events and the U.S. Marshals, A Changing Nation begins with an area called Why Marshals?, which ties the Marshals’ actions throughout our history to the U.S. Constitution. Visitors are then invited to learn more about specific events and themes such as the Whiskey Rebellion and the rule of law, slavery and the legacy of inequality, and the struggles between labor and capital.

The intricate ties between the U.S. Marshals Service and our justice system are never more clear than when viewed through the lens of today. Looking at the various divisions within the Service and its nationwide presence creates a concrete understanding of how the Service protects our system of justice and, in doing so, protects our system of government. The Marshals protect our judges and courtrooms, they track down fugitives from justice, they protect federal witnesses, they care for and control defendants during their trial, and even manage the assets forfeited by the guilty. The Marshals Today gallery will help us fully understand the efforts of the Service to protect our justice system and how important that effort is to us all.

Finally, the team drew inspiration from the location of the museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was here, looking across the Arkansas River into Indian Territory, that U.S. Marshals grew to legendary status in America’s cultural landscape. The gallery, Frontier Marshals, centers around the dramatic story of the Old West, but it sets that story within a larger framework that posits the Marshals as the lawmen of our frontiers—be they geographic, political, or cultural. The gallery follows the grand sweep of the Marshals’ history from their beginnings in 1789 as the first federal officers, to their adventures in the Old West, and, in the end, asking visitors to think about what the future might hold for the Service.

These three galleries, along with a Hall of Honor devoted to the stories of fallen Marshals, speak to the broad mandate of responsibility and dedication to service of those who wear the Marshal’s badge. Each gallery provides a unique view of the story and on its own conveys the Service’s role in protecting the justice system. Together, they provide a glimpse into the incredible and varied history of the United States’ oldest federal law enforcement agency and should leave visitors knowing not only more about the Marshals, but also about American history and the importance and meaning of justice within that history.