Clayton House

Updated June 11, 2025

Fort Smith’s Iconic Historical Sites | Arkansas.com

## Clayton House (Fort Smith, Arkansas): what to know before you visit

Clayton House is a historic house museum at 514 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901. Clayton House It sits within Fort Smith’s Belle Grove Historic District, an area the Fort Smith Heritage Foundation helped establish and that was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Clayton House

If you like “how people actually lived” history—architecture, domestic spaces, artifacts, and the civic story of a city—this is a strong stop in Fort Smith’s historic core.

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## Fast visitor essentials

### Address + contact
– Address: 514 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901 Clayton House
– Phone: 479-783-3000 Clayton House
– Email: [email protected] Clayton House

### Hours (guided tours)
The museum is open via guided tours:
– Tue–Sat: 12:00–4:00 p.m. Clayton House
– Sun: 1:00–4:00 p.m. Clayton House
– Mon: Closed Clayton House

Tours start at the top of the hour and last about 50 minutes. Clayton House

### Suggested donation (what most visitors pay)
– $6 adults
– $5 seniors (65+)
– $3 ages 6–17
– Free under 6 Clayton House

### Parking + accessibility notes
– Parking along 6th Street is allowed; limited handicap parking is in the back of the museum. Clayton House
– Directions given by the museum: from Garrison Avenue, go north on 6th Street five blocks; the house is at the southeast corner of 6th and “F.” Clayton House

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## Why Clayton House matters in Fort Smith’s history

Clayton House is associated with William Henry Harrison Clayton, described by the museum as the federal prosecutor in the frontier court of Judge Isaac C. Parker. Clayton House The site explains that the home served as the Clayton family’s residence from 1882–1897. Clayton House

A key preservation moment came in 1969, when Fort Smith citizen Julia Yadon helped stop the building’s demolition; she and other citizens formed the Fort Smith Heritage Foundation to preserve the house and promote Fort Smith’s Victorian-era heritage. Clayton House The foundation’s work culminated in the historic house museum’s grand opening on May 30, 1977 after a seven-year restoration effort. Clayton House

The house is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

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## What you’ll actually see on the tour

The museum describes Clayton House as a restored, 6,000+ square-foot home with period rooms and family artifacts. Clayton House Highlights the site specifically calls out include:

– Eight main rooms with ornate coal-burning fireplaces Clayton House
– A reconstructed semi-detached servants’ quarters and kitchen on the original foundation Clayton House
– Interior features such as:
– a formal parlor fresco (original design) Clayton House
– tall cypress double front doors (original) Clayton House
– an original black walnut staircase Clayton House
– Victorian-style bay windows Clayton House
– Collection notes:
– Clayton family artifacts (examples listed include a family Bible, W.H.H. Clayton’s walking stick, and photos) Clayton House
– Victorian furnishings credited in part to a donation from Agnes Oglesby (1874–1979) Clayton House
– instruments named by the museum: a Mathushek orchestral square piano (manufactured 1884) and a Beckwith pump organ (circa 1894) Clayton House

If you’re writing this up for readers, that mix—architecture + household objects + named artifacts—gives you clean angles beyond “old house tour.”

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## Planning tips that save time (and frustration)

### 1) Time your arrival around tour starts
Because tours start on the hour and run ~50 minutes, arriving 10–15 minutes early is practical—especially if you want time for photos outside without rushing the check-in. (The “on the hour / 50 minutes” piece is straight from the museum.) Clayton House

### 2) If you’re sensitive to stairs, confirm access details
The site includes older language referencing COVID-era restrictions (for example, “upstairs closed” and mask requirements). Clayton House That may be outdated today; the museum explicitly tells visitors to check their Facebook page for temporary changes. Clayton House If accessibility (or level access) matters for your group, verify current conditions before you go.

### 3) Consider pairing it with a neighborhood walk
Because the house is positioned as a centerpiece of the Belle Grove Historic District, this visit can work well as part of a broader architecture-focused stroll (even if you only do exterior viewing of other homes). Clayton House

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## Accuracy + “outdated data” flag (important)
– Hours, tour start cadence, and suggested donation amounts are from the Clayton House’s official site. Clayton House
– The site also contains COVID-era language (masking / upstairs closure). Clayton House Because those policies often change, treat that specific portion as potentially outdated and verify via the museum’s Facebook updates as they recommend. Clayton House

If you want, I can also generate a short FAQ block (parking, tour length, pricing, best time to go) in a schema-ready format—but only using the same verified details above.

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Clayton House

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