Update: Little Rock City League

A researcher from the Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia recently contacted me about my research of the Little Rock City Baseball League in 1911.  I shared the articles of the Hubs' 1911 season, and their page on the City League has been updated to include team names and managers. 

A detailed profile of player "Wild Bill" Luhrsen, my great-grandfather's brother, includes a photograph of Bill as a young man.  He bears a striking resemblance to Gus. 

Many thanks to the Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia for the great research efforts you have taken in chronicling the history of the Little Rock City League. 

Arkansas History Commission

Arkansas History Commission

One Capitol Mall

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

(501) 682-6900

http://www.ark-ives.com/

Monday-Saturday 8:00 a. m. – 4:30 p. m.

According to EncyclopediaofArkansas.net, the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives “is the official state archives of Arkansas and houses the state’s largest collection of documents, publications, photographs, and other material relating to Arkansas history.”  Read more about the history of the History Commission here.

Collections

The Arkansas History Commission has many primary and secondary sources for researchers to use.  These include manuscripts, newspaper archives, county records, military records, books and maps, photographs, land records, and a biographical index file that contains information from obituaries and other sources.  More information on holdings is available at their website.

Research Requests

The History Commission does not do research for users. 

Procedures

1. Bring government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license).
2. Sign in and complete a registration form.
3. Bring cash.  There are no ATMs on site. 
4. No use of cell phones or other personal copying equipment is permitted. 
5. The only fees are for duplication.  Printing from a computer or photocopier is $0.10 per page.  Fees vary by size for photo duplication and map reproduction. 
6. Printing microfilm is $0.25 per page.  Money must be pre-loaded on a card.  The card must be loaded with a minimum of $1.00 and the money is nonrefundable.    The staff will not make change, and there are no refunds, so unless you intend to print a lot of pages or don’t mind losing the money, bring $1 bills.
7. Directions to the State Capitol Complex are on the Arkansas History Commission website.

The Research Topic

My ancestor Gus Luhrsen, born in Iroquois County, Illinois, lived in North Little Rock, Arkansas with his aunt, uncle, and two of his brothers who ended up settling in the area for good.  Gus was the older brother of William “Wild Bill” Luhrsen, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1913 season. 

In August 2009, my cousin gave me a copy of a picture of Gus wearing a baseball uniform that reads “HUB.”  The date printed at the bottom was 1911, and “Gus Luhrsen” was written on the side of his headshot.  Looking at the photo, I could tell that it was Gus.  The cousin told me that he was on a local team while he was young man; he was 28 in 1911.   She said she would be interested to know more about the team, and that I could keep the copy to reference when I researched. 

I could find nothing about the team online, and numerous phone calls led me to an Arkansas baseball expert who hadn’t heard of the team but who gave my question to a local baseball historian.  This man and his wife took time out of their own research to look into the question of who the Hubs were, and I am still so grateful for their help.  The two articles they shared with me gave me hope that there were more about the 1911 baseball season.  I hoped I might find some mention of Gus by visiting the Arkansas History Commission myself.  

The Results

First I looked up several obituaries for Arkansas relatives in the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette.  Then I sped through the Gazette for mentions of the Hubs in 1911.  What I learned is that the team was started that year by the owner of the Hub Clothing Company, which was located at 114 Main Street.  The other teams were Argenta, Bakers’ Union, C. Wells, Fort Roots, Lloyd’s, and Uniteds (United Clothing Company).  Together they formed the Little Rock City League. 

The Hubs won the championship that year. I don’t know if the teams played in subsequent years.  The articles did not mention Gus, but it is clearly him in the photograph, so perhaps he served in a managerial position.

Comments

I intend to post more information about the Hubs and the City League season as I transcribe the articles.  If you are interested in reading the Hubs articles I have found, I will share them if you leave your contact information below.  If you know anything about the history of any of the Arkansas teams, or if you have a similar photo, please leave a comment. 

Edgewood Memorial Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas: May 2010

Edgewood Memorial Park is in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  I was searching for the graves of some relatives: my great-grandfather’s younger brother, their niece (the daughter of another brother), and her husband and son. 

Background: “Wild Bill” Luhrsen, Lucille Luhrsen Brown, Lucille’s husband Leland Brown, and their son Leland Frederick Brown.  Wild Bill played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1913.  He and two of his brothers (Louis and Gus) moved to Little Rock in the late 1890s/early 1900s from Iroquois County, Illinois. They lived with a maternal aunt and uncle who had moved there from St. Louis, Missouri.  Both Louis and Bill remained in Little Rock for the rest of their lives; Gus Luhrsen settled in St. Louis around 1912.

The office was closed when I got there and the cemetery was fairly large—Find a Grave lists 3,053 interments, but it is much larger than that—and it took me a few minutes to locate the graves.  As I believe I said on the previous post, it was a beautiful day to scour cemeteries. 

The Luhrsen plot at Edgewood Memorial Park.  May 2010.

“Wild Bill” Luhrsen (1884-1973).  May 2010.

Lucille Luhrsen Brown (1912-2007) and her family. 

Lucille's didn't have a date of death, but the ground indicated a burial in the last few years.  May 2010.

Leland Brown (1922-1986). Leland was 10 years Lucille's junior.  May 2010.

Leland Frederick Brown (1952-1968).  May 2010.

Luhrsen Plot in Edgewood Memorial Park.  May 2010.

I still find it interesting that Lucille is buried with her uncle rather than with her parents, siblings, and grandparents at Elmlawn in Little Rock.  Neither of Wild Bill's two children are buried with him: his daughter Marilynn is buried in Rest Hills Memorial Park in North Little Rock, and his son William, Jr. is buried in Waveland, Mississippi.  Availability and other family ties can explain this, however. 

Edgewood is well-kept.  You may want to visit the office or call in advance to get directions to where people are buried in advance of going. 

Edgewood Memorial Park is located at:

4200 Division Street
North Little Rock, AR
72118, US
Phone: (501) 753-3930

http://www.serenityandcompany.com/Edgewood_Memorila_Park_667271.html

If you have any questions or comments about the cemetery, my photos, or the people mentioned in this post, I'd love to hear from you.  And have a happy holiday!