Mainland in Daytona Beach in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Daisy Stocking Park

555 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard

— Black Heritage Trail —

Daisy Stocking Park Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Stephen Thomas White, January 7, 2026

1. Daisy Stocking Park Marker

Inscription. Recognizing health disparities and lack of medical treatment available to the Black community, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Mary Mcleod Hospital and Training School for Nurses. In 1916, she asked a fellow South Carolinian and Scotia Seminary alumni - Daisy Hardy (Stocking) - to come to Daytona Beach to supervise the hospital, which she did until 1918, when she married Dr. John Stocking and helped in his practice. The hospital was located adjacent to the park on the campus of Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute (now Bethune-Cookman University). In 1971, this park was named in honor of Daisy Stocking to recognize her contributions to the Black community during her lifetime.

Over the next 52 years, until her death in 1968. Daisy Hardy Stocking left a legacy through a life of service, including 22 years as chair of the board of directors of Sara Hunt Orphanage, which provided care to children and elderly from 1924 to 1970. She also served on the board of directors of the Community Chest Fund and the United Fund. She organized the Volusia County Tuberculosis Association and the first American Red Cross blood drive in the Black community. During World War II, she chaired the Negro Division War Bond Drive. She received the Chicago Committee of 100's Good American Award in 1963. In 1964 she was inducted into th Methodist Hall of Fame and named Woman of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women. In 2025, she was posthumously awarded the Daughters in American Revolution's Women in American History Award.

The enjoined legacy started by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Daisy Stocking can grow and expand through new ideas and connections that are created in this important public gathering space, bringing generations together.

Timeline
1888 Born in Florence, SC
1916 Moves to Daytona Beach
1916-18

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Supervises Mary McLeod Hospital
WWII Chairs Negro Division War Bond Drive
1963 Good American Award by Chicago Committee of 100
1964 Methodist Hall of Fame & National Council of Negro Women - Woman of the Year
1971 Daisy Stocking Park Naming
2024 Multi-million Dollar Park Renovation

To learn more about the Black Heritage Trail and additional locations, visit daytonabeach.gov/blackheritagetrail

Soul Of A Community/Light Of A Nation

Erected by City of Daytona Beach and the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Parks & Recreational Areas • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Mary McLeod Bethune series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.

Location. 29° 12.768′ N, 81° 1.76′ W. Marker is in Daytona Beach, Florida, in Volusia County. It is in Mainland. It is at the intersection of Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard and Pearl Street, on the right when traveling north on Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal

Photographed by Stephen Thomas White, January 7, 2026

2. Daisy Stocking Park Marker

address: 555 Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, Daytona Beach FL 32114, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in First Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Campbell Hotel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mary McLeod Bethune Historic Home (about 800 feet away); Dr. Mary Bethune (approx. 0.2 miles away); Francis R. Keyser (approx. 0.2 miles away); Home of Mary McLeod Bethune (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bethune-Cookman University (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Home of Mr. Harold V. Lucas, Sr. (approx. 0.3 miles away); United States Post Office (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Daytona Beach.

Also see . . .
1. Daisy Stocking Park.

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(Submitted on September 18, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia.)
2. Black History Close to Home. (Submitted on September 18, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 18, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.