Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from Book cover picturing a white woman from the back Blessings of the Heart to Book cover featuring white man in long sleeves and vest clutching from behind a white woman in yellow dress Runaway Heart
or Surprise Me

This Day in Arkansas History

February 15, 2010

Alfred “Slick” Surratt, a baseball player in the Negro Leagues who contributed to the creation and development of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Missouri, died in a Kansas City nursing home. A native of Danville (Yell County), Surratt was a baseball player from his early years, even playing during his World War II military service. Following the war, he went on the play for the Detroit Stars and Kansas City Monarchs. Surratt retired from baseball in 1952 and then worked for the Ford Motor Company as the first Black skilled laborer in the company’s Claycomo, Missouri, location.

Learn more about Alfred "Slick" Surratt Explore full history calendar

Browse the Encyclopedia

Entries

By Category A – Z

Media

By Category A – Z

Photo of the Day

Johnswood

Approximately three years after Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Gould Fletcher moved back to his native Little Rock (Pulaski County), he married fellow accomplished writer Charlie May Simon. The couple, though often traveling the world, lived in their dream home on a bluff overlooking the Arkansas River. The colonial revival house named “Johnswood,” shown here in the 1950s, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

 

Approximately three years after Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Gould Fletcher moved back to his native Little Rock (Pulaski County), he married fellow accomplished writer Charlie May Simon. The couple, though often traveling the world, lived in their dream home on a bluff overlooking the Arkansas River. The colonial revival house named “Johnswood,” shown here in the 1950s, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Learn More
Trending Entries
white woman with brown hair holding a prisoner placard saying "Riggs Christina Riggs Law Enforcement busy city intersection with cars and people, view of state capitol in background Little Rock Pulaski Faces of three white men superimposed upon forest with red and white text on book cover West Memphis Three Criminal Activities Portrait white man in suit military medal long wavy hair thick beard smoking large pipe Albert Pike Individuals, Lawyers, Poetry, State Figures white man in black embroidered alongside white woman in dark suit and hat carrying roses amid a crowd of people Johnny Cash Country, Rock Group of African-American men standing and sitting before brick wall Elaine Massacre of 1919 Early Twentieth Century White man with stubbled beard sitting in backwards cap and jacket with his hands clasped under his chin Billy Bob Thornton Actors and Filmmakers Multistory red brick church building with steeple Seventh-Day Adventists Faiths and Denominations white man in embroidered black shirt and white woman in turtleneck and white jacket smiling in front of trees "Tony and Susan Alamo Tony Alamo sings Mister DJ" Tony Alamo Criminal Activities, Religious Figures "Walton's" store with red and white awning and "Wal-Mart visitors center" on the windows Walmart Inc. Businesses Tall obelisk with statue of soldier and plaque with trees in the background World War I Post Civil War "Negroes leave town of Bonanza" newspaper clipping Sundown Towns Front page of Arkansas Times with various images, the largest of which is a white man with glasses and text "Whitewater" Whitewater Scandal "Kickapoo Indian Worm Killer" flyer showing a drawing of a man in a headdress holding a child Worms [Medical Condition], Traditional Remedies Pathology Canopy in park with benches under it and paved walking paths Westside School Shooting Criminal Activities Exploded underground missile silo and debris as seen from above Titan II Missile Explosion Post Civil War
New & Updated
Multistory building with clock tower and stone monument with flag pole and trees in its front yard Ouachita County Mountain highway with two cars driving uphill past striped posts on gravel shoulder Ouachita Mountains Six Natural Divisions Mountain viewed from forest road with opposite split-rail fences Ouachita National Forest Attractions (Historic and Current), Protected Areas Concrete dam with water rushing over it and lake Ouachita River Physical Geography Postcard "We all want the freedom to make decisions that affect our lives" Initiatives and Referenda Laws and Court Cases River with green foliage and red barn shaped mill building Ozark Arts and Crafts Fair Art Organizations, Festivals and Events Round polygonal stone building with wooden shingles and steps leading up to it. Ozark Folk Center State Park Folklife Projects and Folklorists, State Parks Map of Arkansas and surrounding states divided into geological regions with scale below it Ozark Mountains Six Natural Divisions River with natural spill way and green foliage Ozark-St. Francis National Forests Attractions (Historic and Current), Protected Areas Portrait of white man in suit, tie, seated by curtain, table, and book Isaac Charles Parker Judges White man in suit and tie sitting in a chair with red and white stripes Harvey Parnell Governors, Lt. Governors University of Arkansas Shooting of 2000 Criminal Activities White male track athlete "Arkansas state" jersey celebrates smiling hands raised people in background field Earl Holmes Bell Track and Field Glenn Cunningham Track and Field Blue and gray clad armies on horses with guns charging each other on battlefield with flags, cannons, bare trees, and smoke Battle of Pea Ridge Civil War Four cannons in field by split rail fence with forest beyond Pea Ridge National Military Park Locations, National Parks

About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

New to Arkansas?
New to Arkansas?

Our overview page covers everything you would want to know about our beautiful state, including state symbols, demographics and more!

See Overview