Toy

Of all the property owners who sold land for the creation of Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC, only two were African American: Jane Dickson and Charles Dickson. The two Dicksons -their relationship is unknown -- owned nearly identical lots a few hundred yards apart, each consisting of a quarter acre of land, a small house, and a garden. While these properties represent the type of provision that the owners of formerly enslaved persons would make for newly freed persons, the name Dickson does not appear among the enslaved persons of the Peirce family, who owned the surrounding land. Though the chain of title for these properties is obscure, it appears that the Dicksons purchased these lots in the 1860s.

In 2005 archeologists found a scattering of artifacts at the Jane Dickson Site, including nails, brick fragments, and a small china button. At the Charles Dickson Site, an excavation of an old cellar hole revealed this 3.5-inch tall iron figurine of a man, wearing a hat and holding his hands in front of him. One of the archeologists recognized that he resembled the African American cart drivers that were common figures on old metal toys and in real life, as carting was one of the main occupations of African American men in Washington, DC Researchers then found an image of an antique mule cart toy for sale with a driver that looked very much like the one from the Charles Dickson Site. This small object provides an insightful glimpse into a home with children at play, perhaps with this figurine and an accompanying cart.