The Lucy F. Simms School is a school building at 620 Simms Avenue in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 11, 2004.[1][3] Lucy F. Simms (born 1855, died July 10, 1934) was a former slave who went on to become an influential teacher in Harrisonburg.[4]
Lucy F. Simms School | |
 Lucy F. Simms School in September 2013 | |
   | |
| Location | 620 Simms Ave., Harrisonburg, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°27′16″N 78°51′29″W / 38.4545°N 78.8580°W |
| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1939 |
| Built by | Nielson Construction Company |
| Architect | Virginia Department of Education |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000040[1] |
| VLR No. | 115-5035 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 2004 |
| Designated VLR | December 3, 2003[2] |
The school was located in north-eastern Harrisonburg, on the site of a previous school, the Effinger Street school. It was co-educational but was only available to African American children. The site had housed a school from around 1880 on what had previously been the Hilltop estate of the Gray family. The Lucy F. Simms school was built in 1938 and closed from 1966 when American schools finally became integrated and so open to all children.[5]
After the school's closure, the building remained empty until it was re-opened in 2005 as the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Lucy F.Simms School Final Nomination" (PDF). 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ^ MacAllister, Dale E. (2020). Lucy Frances Simms: From Slavery to Revered Public Service. Lot's Wife Publishing Company. p. 305. ISBN 9781934368497.
- ^ a b "The Life of Lucy F. Simms". Celebrating Simms: story of the Lucy F. Simms School. James Madison University and Shenandoah Black Heritage. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
External links
edit- http://www.heritagecenter.com/Web_Pages/Museum/Collection/blackedu/lucysims.html
- Lucy Simms oral history : background paper and transcripts Getachew, Wondwossen 2000