East End in Asheville in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Isaac And Delia Dickson

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 17, 2025

1. Mural’s Isaac And Delia Dickson Panel’s Text

Inscription. Here, on this ground, community grew like a garden. Paving a way for economic freedom, newly emancipated Isaac and Delia Dickson (pictured at right w/ horse), worked, saved, & bought several tracts of land on Valley Street where they rented homes to freed men. The Dicksons ran a general store, coal-yard, & taxi-service, and their community became know as "Dicksontown" (which eventually expanded into the Velvet St. neighborhood, which was eventually leveled to make way for the Public Works Building during "Urban Renewal").

Isaac influenced the establishment of Asheville's public school system in as the first black man appointed to the school board in 1887, and he hosted the first public meeting to organize the Young Men's Institute (YMI), to promote social and economic opportunities for the African-American community. The YMI grew to house many programs including a 12 piece orchestra (pictured below), a basketball court and swimming pool, and eventually public library that served black patrons before integration.

Erected 2013 by Just Folks and the Asheville Design Center. Molly Must, Artist.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Education.

Location. 35° 35.568′ N, 82° 33.027′ W. Marker is in Asheville, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. It is in East End. It is on South Market Street south of Sycamore Street, on the right when traveling south. Located in Triangle Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 56 S Market St, Asheville NC 28801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

Isaac And Delia Dickson image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 23, 2022

2. Isaac And Delia Dickson

of this marker: Railroad Workers (here, next to this marker); Catholic Hill School / Stephen’s – Lee High School (here, next to this marker); Lynching in America / The Lynching of Bob Brackett (a few steps from this marker); Triangle Park Mural (a few steps from this marker); Isaac Dickson and the Historical East End Neighborhood (within shouting distance of this marker); Oscar Wong (within shouting distance of this marker); The YMI & William and Georgia Roland (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hotel District (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Asheville.

Isaac And Delia Dickson Mural Panel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 23, 2022

3. Isaac And Delia Dickson Mural Panel

Isaac And Delia Dickson and Catholic Hill School Panels image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 23, 2022

4. Isaac And Delia Dickson and Catholic Hill School Panels

These are the fourth and fifth panels of the mural, from the left.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 326 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 2, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 10, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.