Once Upon Dickson
An Illustrated History, 1868-2000

Once Upon Dickson tells the story of Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas, the colorful and ever-changing link between the center of town and the University campus. Carefully researched, it will appeal to a large popular audience of residents and visitors to the city’s premier entertainment district and to University personnel and alumni, for whom it is as memorable in their college experience as Old Main or Razorback Stadium. In a time when Dickson Street is undergoing radical change, the book serves as a reminder that the street has been changing almost from the earliest time in its history. Residences, churches, public institutions, and businesses have come, gone, and sometimes come again, but because of its location, Dickson Street remains at the heart of Fayetteville.

The book contains nearly 370 images, including maps and advertisements. Historic and recent photographs illustrate the changes along Dickson Street throughout the twentieth century. Some notable images are pictures of a great fire in 1911, a class picture at the Fayetteville Business College, interior photos of businesses along the street, photographs of traffic conditions through the years, and advertisements for businesses long forgotten and for some still thriving along the street. Residential Dickson Street, both East and West, is well represented, along with photos of some of the citizens who lived and worked along the street.

Anthony J. Wappel is archivist at the Historic Washington County Court House and a former staff member of the University of Arkansas Libraries’ Special Collections Department. Since his arrival in Fayetteville to attend graduate school in 1986, he has been a regular visitor to Dickson Street in a period of great change. He has compiled the history of Dickson Street from photographs, newspapers, and other documents from the University libraries, local historical societies, and courthouse records and has written a narrative of the people, businesses, and events that made Dickson Street’s history.

Ethel Simpson has lived in Fayetteville on and off since 1958, and went to the UArk Bowl on her first date in Fayetteville. Her first date with Vergil Simpson was for beer at George’s. After their marriage, they taught in Maryland and Louisiana before returning to Fayetteville in 1969, and she finished a PhD. in comparative literature at the U of A. She worked for thirty years in the Special Collections Department of the University of Arkansas Libraries, where she acquired an extensive knowledge of the history of the University. She is the author or editor of five books, including Image and Reflection, A Pictorial History of the University of Arkansas.