The West Dickson Street Commercial Historic District, known as Dickson Street (historically spelled incorrectly as Dixon Street), is an area in downtown

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city ...

just off the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

campus. It is lined with multiple bars, restaurants, and shops unique to the area. Many large condo projects are now under construction as well. Dickson Street is home to the

Walton Arts Center The Walton Arts Center is a performing arts center located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It opened in 1992 and is currently Arkansas' largest and busiest arts presenter. The center is estimated to have cost about $13 million, which was made possi ...

and is widely considered one of the two most popular entertainment districts in the state, along with the River Market District in downtown

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

Eponym

Dickson Street is named for Joseph L. Dickson, who arrived in Fayetteville in the 1840s. The move was in response to his father, Ephraim Dickson, receiving a promotion to United States Land Registrar by President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...

. Dickson first lived on the Fayetteville square before buying a parcel on the north edge of town, moving himself and his wife to present day Dickson Street. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

forced the Dicksons to flee to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and their home was used as a field hospital during the Battle of Fayetteville. The Dicksons returned to Fayetteville after the war, but Joseph Dickson died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1868. File:Frisco Trail, Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas.jpg, Access point for Frisco Trail - 2012

Street history

Dickson Street was a part of the

Arkansas Highway System The Arkansas Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstate highway, Interstates, U.S. Highway system, U.S. Highways and State Highways in the US state of Arkansas. The system is maintained by the Arkansas Department of T ...

until the

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), formerly the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, is a government department in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its mission is to provide a safe, efficient, aesthetically pleasing and env ...

abandoned the route on April 13, 1955. The designation changed when Highway 16 was rerouted onto Maple Street and Razorback Road.

References

External links

* http://www.fayettevillear.com/
Map of the District
{{Authority control Queen Anne architecture in Arkansas Neoclassical architecture in Arkansas Transportation in Washington County, Arkansas Streets in Arkansas Tourist attractions in Fayetteville, Arkansas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Fayetteville, Arkansas Shopping districts and streets in the United States

Eponym

Street history

See also

References

External links