Skip to main content

Dickenson, Richard B., 1930-2006

 Person

Biographical Note

Richard B. Dickenson, community activist and historian, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1930. From 1951-1953 he served with the US Army in Korea. Dickenson then received a B.A. in geography from Michigan State University in 1957 and a M.Ed. from Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1971. He taught at a variety of colleges and universities throughout his career, including Virginia Tech where he researched local African American history and genealogy. After moving back to New York, Dickenson was appointed Borough Historian of Staten Island, which he held until his death from cancer in 2006.

Dickenson is the author of two published works: Entitled! Free Papers in Appalachia Concerning Antebellum Freeborn Negroes and Emancipated Blacks of Montgomery County, Virginia. and Holden's Staten Island: The History of Richmond County.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Richard B. Dickenson Papers,

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2011-043
Abstract

The collection is composed of materials related to Dickenson's research on Southwest Virginia African Americans from the Civil War until the present.

Dates: 1931-2004; Majority of material found within 1964 - 2000