Slovak, Arkansas
Unincorporated community
Slovak, Arkansas is located in Arkansas
Slovak, Arkansas
Slovak, Arkansas
Slovak, Arkansas is located in the United States
Slovak, Arkansas
Slovak, Arkansas
Coordinates: 34°38′55″N 91°34′55″W / 34.64861°N 91.58194°W / 34.64861; -91.58194
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountyPrairie
Elevation
220 ft (70 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code870
GNIS feature ID54915[1]

Slovak (originally known as Slovactown or Slovaktown) is an unincorporated community in Prairie County, Arkansas, United States. Slovak is located on Arkansas Highway 86 9.1 miles (14.6 km) south of Hazen.[2] It is the only municipality in the United States named after the European country of Slovakia.[3] The area was originally settled by Slovak immigrants and continues to celebrate its Slovak-American heritage.

History

Russian Orthodox Cemetery near Slovak

The community was founded in 1894 and settled by Slovak immigrants who were drawn to the area when the Slovak Colonization Company in Pennsylvania bought 3,000 acres of land in Arkansas to colonize the area with Slovaks. There are still many Slovak cultural, fraternal and religious organizations in the community, and there is an annual Slovak Oyster Supper and other Slovak cultural events. The Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius (who are also known as the Apostles of the Slavs) was built in 1914 by the early Slovak immigrants.[4][5][6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ "Slovak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Prairie County, Arkansas General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  3. ^ "Slovak residents enjoy first Heritage Day celebration - News - Stuttgart Daily Leader - Stuttgart, AR - Stuttgart, AR". www.stuttgartdailyleader.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Jamie Metrailer,"Slovak (Prairie County)," The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, (University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2011) http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5362
  5. ^ Earl, Jack. "Little Slovakia in Arkansas." Arkansas Democrat Sunday Magazine. January 27, 1952, pp. 1–2.
  6. ^ Freeman, Felton D. "Immigration to Arkansas." Arkansas Historical Quarterly 7 (Autumn 1948): 210–220
  7. ^ Historical Commission of the Diocese of Little Rock. The History of Catholicity in Arkansas, from the Earliest Missionaries Down to the Present Time. Little Rock: The Guardian, 1925.
  8. ^ Woods, James W. Mission and Memory: A History of the Catholic Church in Arkansas. Little Rock: August House, 1993.


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