diff --git a/sys/arch/news/compile/.keep_me b/sys/arch/news/compile/.keep_me
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..91c5f431a181
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sys/arch/news/compile/.keep_me
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+$NetBSD: .keep_me,v 1.1 1998/02/19 09:17:56 thorpej Exp $
+
+This normally empty directory needs to be kept in the distribution.
diff --git a/sys/arch/newsmips/compile/.keep_me b/sys/arch/newsmips/compile/.keep_me
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..91c5f431a181
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sys/arch/newsmips/compile/.keep_me
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+$NetBSD: .keep_me,v 1.1 1998/02/19 09:17:56 thorpej Exp $
+
+This normally empty directory needs to be kept in the distribution.