231 East Johnson Street
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Last updated: March 25, 2024
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Directions from The "Rec Center" to site 21:
- Make a right onto E Johnson St
- In 800 feet site 21 is on the right
This is the former home of Miss Simms where she resided with her mother. step-father and half-brother Ulysses Grant “U.G.” Wilson who was an educator and poet. Lucy Frances Simms was born into slavery in 1856 at the Hill Top Farm in Harrisonburg, VA, present-day Ralph Sampson Park. Simms grew up at Hill Top and obtained freedom following the Civil War. Simms received a primary education at a local African American school. She later enrolled in Hampton Institute from 1874 to 1877 and received training to become a public school teacher. She was awarded a “First Grade Certificate” for her teaching qualifications. After graduation, Simms returned to Rockingham County to become one of the earliest African American educators in the county. In 1877, Simms taught at a small African American community called Athens (Zenda) at the Long’s Chapel and then at the Athens Colored School.
Lucy taught at a mission school for Black students in a church basement in Harrisonburg. Then in 1883, Simms began teaching at Effinger Street School. Lucy F. Simms was dedicated to her school and students and had a supportive and respectful relationship with the African American community in Newtown. Her character shined through her career, hard work, and leadership roles. Simms taught with a sternness and the care of a mother that touched the lives of those she encountered. She encouraged and aided her students to achieve their dreams. She taught over 1,800 students and three generations of families. At age 70, Lucy F. Simms was honored by Harrisonburg citizens for her 56 years of service in 1926. Unexpectedly, after 56 years of teaching, the beloved educator passed on July 10, 1934, at age 72, in her home on East Johnson Street. Lucy F. Simms lays to rest in the Newtown Cemetery in the heart of the Black community, a street over from the school founded in her honor.
The Lucy F. Simms Educator of the Year Award started in 2008 to honor a teach in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Schools. The Lucy F. Simms historical marker was erected in 2021in front of Lucy F. Simms School. In 2017, Lucy F. Simms was one of ten selected Virginians on the Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument in Richmond, Virginia.
Lucy taught at a mission school for Black students in a church basement in Harrisonburg. Then in 1883, Simms began teaching at Effinger Street School. Lucy F. Simms was dedicated to her school and students and had a supportive and respectful relationship with the African American community in Newtown. Her character shined through her career, hard work, and leadership roles. Simms taught with a sternness and the care of a mother that touched the lives of those she encountered. She encouraged and aided her students to achieve their dreams. She taught over 1,800 students and three generations of families. At age 70, Lucy F. Simms was honored by Harrisonburg citizens for her 56 years of service in 1926. Unexpectedly, after 56 years of teaching, the beloved educator passed on July 10, 1934, at age 72, in her home on East Johnson Street. Lucy F. Simms lays to rest in the Newtown Cemetery in the heart of the Black community, a street over from the school founded in her honor.
The Lucy F. Simms Educator of the Year Award started in 2008 to honor a teach in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Schools. The Lucy F. Simms historical marker was erected in 2021in front of Lucy F. Simms School. In 2017, Lucy F. Simms was one of ten selected Virginians on the Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument in Richmond, Virginia.
