On Sunday morning, a connection to local legend Dr. James Lee Dickey in Taylor was lost to a fire.
In the early morning hours on Sunday, July 10, the future site of The Dickey Museum and Multipurpose Center in the 500 block of Burkett Street caught fire and the building was destroyed.
The museum broke ground in January 2016 and has been in ongoing phases of renovation. The museum was to be housed inside Dickey’s original home. According to Jennifer Harris, Dickey Museum and Multipurpose Center board president, the home was in the final stages of renovation and was targeted to open in July 2023.
According to a press release from the city of Taylor, at 3:32 a.m., firefighters responded to the fire at the future museum. When they arrived, the home was fully engulfed with flames. The fire was extinguished around 4:45 a.m.
The fire is considered suspicious. In the course of the investigation, a probable arrest warrant for James Paul Gogolewski, 47, of Taylor, was issued July 12. He was arrested and charged with a second-degree felony.
Harris was at a loss for words after the fire but has not lost sight of the mission.
“Everything is going to be alright because we are all about the living legacy of Dr. Dickey,” she said. “The house was fine for his legacy to be stored in as the only building related to his significance in this community. We just want to continue in his living legacy.”
She said Dr. Dickey’s legacy was not destroyed in the fire.
“To me, (Dr. Dickey) was like the Martin Luther King of Taylor,” Harris said. “He was the voice. He was a physician, he was a humanitarian and he fought for civil rights for the Taylor African Americans.”
Dr. Dickey’s home was the only structure left in the city that tied to his legacy.
Harris believes she has gained control of her emotions and will continue with the work for the preservation of Dr. Dickey’s memory.
“To whomever did this, I don’t hold any malice in my heart,” she said. “I was angry at first, but I’m no longer angry at this person and I forgive them for what they have done.”
As one of Taylor’s notable residents, Dickey was one of 130 African American doctors in Texas and the first African American physician in Williamson County when he came to practice from the 1940s to 1950s. Outside of his office, Dickey’s pursuits included advocating for education, civil rights and other local ventures.
Mayor Brandt Rydell said Dr. Dickey’s legacy lives large among the giants of Taylor.
“While it was tragic that we lost this important piece of history in Dr. Dickey’s former residence, his legacy is far more that a wood frame house,” Rydell said. “Dr. Dickey very much is living on in the hearts of this community. His memory will not die.”
Rydell said despite the setback of losing the building, the community will still move forward collectively to realize Dr. Dickey’s legacy and carry it forward with future generations.
“We’re not through,” Harris said. “We worked this long without a building. As the work goes forward, and we plan to move forward with the work, my prayer is that the funding that we are securing and that has already been secured, can be distributed for a replica of the house in the same location.”
Harris said she does not look at the loss of the house as the work and purpose of the board being destroyed.
“We are much alive, and as long as we’re here to preserve his history, then we’re going to continue to do that,” she said.
