The Last Streetcar, Fort Smith

So one day I was about to leave downtown Fort Smith when the orange apparition of a lost transportation network materialized before my eyes and asked me if I had a dollar. 

Ghost Signs, Fort Smith

While taking a jaunt through the back streets of Fort Smith via streetcar (about which more later), I snapped a few shots of some old, industrial ghost signs. The above advertises the "Atkinsons-Williams Hardware Co." on the side of a building that's likely abandoned. The company evidently "dominated the tinware trade in the region." Another ghost sign after the jump.

Orphaned Frisco Passenger Depot, Fort Smith

Google Map

 Just near the edge of the Arkansas River sits this relic of the old Frisco line. Trains still rumble by along the river, but no one's going for a ride these days. The building is in good shape and is used as temporary offices for the planned U.S. Marshals Museum. More pics after the jump.

Former Movie Theater, Carlisle

What was it like to watch a movie in downtown Carlisle? I don't know, and this building isn't telling me anything, except for the obvious ticket booth on the front. It may have had a neon sign, or a huge canopy, and maybe long lines down the street, but I don't know, and not even Cinema Treasures has any wisdom for me. So it goes.

Marooned Passenger Station, Carlisle

Google Map

Carlisle, Arkansas, is located right along the old Rock Island Railroad. In 1931 (to pick a random year), you could board a train in downtown Little Rock and go straight to Carlisle. Now, the town is bare of railroad, but the old passenger station remains - in remarkably good shape. Some more photos after the jump.