AbOUt FORt ChAFFEE

About Fort Chaffee
Fort Chaffee has a rich history that began September
1941 in western Arkansas. Named in honor of
General Adna Romanza Chaffee, Jr., First Chief of the
Armored Forces, the site
included 72,000 acres of
predominantly farmland
and forest. The base would
play a vital role in training
troops for World War II and
the Korean War. From 1942
to 1946 a portion of Camp
Chaffee was also used
as a facility for German
prisoners of war. In 1956,
the site was chosen as
the field artillery training
center for the 4th Army and
was renamed as Fort Chaffee.
Follow the green directional signs to The Chaffee
Barbershop Museum which is located in the Chaffee
Crossing Historic District.
Directions from Interstate 40:
Take I-40 to Fort Smith/ Van Buren (Exit 7) then I-540
South to Exit 3 (Fort Chaffee) to AR-59. Turn left
onto Hwy. 59 South. Follow Hwy. 59 South through
Barling, to traffic light at Hwy 22. After crossing Hwy.
22 turn left on Taylor Ave. then take a right on Terry
Street. The museum is the 5th building on the left.
The 1960s saw Chaffee supporting troops during the
Berlin Missile Crisis. The base was then used as a
summer training base for the National Guard leading
into the Vietnam War. After the fall of Saigon, Chaffee
was used as a relocation center for Vietnamese refugees
and welcomed Cuban refugees five years later. The
base would also serve as home for the Joint Readiness
Training Center between 1986 and 1993, and house
Hurricane Katrina evacuees in 2005.
In 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure
Commission recommended the permanent closure of
Fort Chaffee, leaving 65,000 acres to the Arkansas
Army National Guard. The remaining 7,000 acres
were turned over to The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment
Authority. The development, now known as Chaffee
Crossing, is a thriving residential, historical,
commercial, industrial, and cultural community. The
Chaffee Crossing Historic District is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and is a non profit
entity. It currently includes the Barbershop Museum,
the Vietnam Veterans Museum, and the Enchanted Doll
Museum, with several museums planned for the future.
Directions from Downtown Fort Smith:
Go east on Rogers Ave. until you reach Barling. Take
a right at the traffic light at the Hwy. 22 & Hwy. 59
intersection. Turn on Taylor Ave. then take a right on
Terry Street. The museum is the 5th building on the left.
Chaffee Barbershop Museum
7313 Terry St., Fort Smith, AR 72916
(479) 242-2724
Hours: 9 am- 4 pm
Monday - Saturday
Admission - FREE
Donations Are
Appreciated
Find us on Facebook.com/ChaffeeBarbershop
Learn more at ChaffeeBarbershopMuseum.org
“Hair today, gone tomorrow!”
Chaffee Barbershop Museum Features:
• Opened to the public in August 2008
• Exhibits chronicling Fort Chaffee’s role in five wars and multiple national crises
• Original site where Elvis received his first
GI buzz cut
• Period barbershop furnishings and signage
• Photo exhibits and the actual camera used
to photograph Elvis
Elvis Presley, March 25, 1958, upon being asked what
he thought of giving up his famous sideburns to be
inducted into the U.S. Army.
On March 24, 1958, an international rock and roll
star named Elvis Presley suspended his music career
to serve his country in the U.S. Army. Famous for his
iconic hair, Elvis made international headlines the next
day when he received his first G.I. buzz cut, dubbed
“the haircut heard ‘round the world.” While some fans
feared it might signal the end of his music career, it
became one of the biggest pop culture events in history.
Elvis Presley’s patriotism and exemplary attitude in
fact made him more popular than ever.
• Guided tours by trained volunteers
Cuban refugees
1980
Vietnamese refugees
1975
Admission is FREE!
6th Armored Division soldiers 1942
Marksmanship training, 1942
Elvis Presley getting his first G.I. buzzcut
Today, the Chaffee Barbershop Museum in Fort
Smith, Arkansas, houses the largest collection of
Fort Chaffee artifacts. The room where Elvis Presley
received the most famous G.I. haircut in American
military history is restored to look like it did that
fateful day in 1958. The museum also contains
extensive photographs, documents and displays
chronicling Fort Chaffee’s role in five wars and
multiple refugee resettlement operations. Fort Chaffee
has been visited by three U.S. Presidents and has been
the location for three major motion pictures.
Chaffee Barbershop Museum
Wheelchair Accessible
For more information or to donate artifacts,
photographs, oral histories or other Chaffee-related
items, please contact:
Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority
7020 Taylor Avenue • Fort Smith, AR 72916
(479) 452-4554
[email protected]
ChaffeeBarbershopMuseum.org