471 Broad Street
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Last updated on July 3, 2025
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Directions from Effinger Street School to site 14:
- Turn left onto E Gay St
- In 350 feet turn left on Broad St
- Site 15 is on the left in 250 feet
Roberta Anna Morgan Webb was born on January 7, 1889, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She lived with her two brothers, grandparents, mother and father. Her grandfather sparked her love for education. Both of her grandparents were enslaved on the Rogers Plantation before the Civil War, and her grandfather was one of the few enslaved individuals to learn to read when it was prohibited for black people. As a young girl, Roberta and her grandfather would hold lessons and read together whenever possible. In 1901, Roberta and her family moved to Pennsylvania. At 11 years old, Roberta worked for a white family in exchange for room and board, allowing her to continue her schooling. Roberta attended the Hampton Institute in 1906 and graduated at the top of her class in 1909. In her final year at Hampton, Roberta served as a student teacher at the Whittier School. She moved to Rockingham County to begin her teaching career at the Newtown School in Elkton, Virginia in 1910. In 1912, Roberta moved to Harrisonburg to teach sixth and seventh graders and music at Effinger Street School until 1922.
Roberta married the Rev. John M. Webb in 1924 and had three daughters, Ada, Nancy, and Peggy. Since married women could not teach at the time, Roberta’s teaching career ended. She created new ways to serve her community during the Great Depression. Roberta was the first to offer in-home childcare for her community members and was one of the first daycare centers in Harrisonburg. Roberta operated a nursing home out of her house for ten years. She took homeless elderly into her home and clothed and fed them. Roberta started an adult education program and traveled to her students’ homes or met with them at her own home to teach basic education.
Roberta was an active member of the Harrisonburg NAACP and the Parent-Teacher Association. In 1943, Webb was the first African American member of the Broad Street Mennonite Church. Roberta lived in this house on Broad Street until 1966. She moved into a retirement home and was the first black resident at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg. For her 100th birthday in 1989, Roberta received a greeting from President and Mrs. Reagan. Roberta Webb died at age 101 on December 20, 1990, at the Oak Lea Nursing Home in Harrisonburg. After Robert’s death, a daycare center was founded in her honor. The Roberta Webb Child Care Center and Preschool opened in the fall of 1994 on Kelley Street and operated until 2024. Roberta Webb’s former home is now privately owned.
Roberta married the Rev. John M. Webb in 1924 and had three daughters, Ada, Nancy, and Peggy. Since married women could not teach at the time, Roberta’s teaching career ended. She created new ways to serve her community during the Great Depression. Roberta was the first to offer in-home childcare for her community members and was one of the first daycare centers in Harrisonburg. Roberta operated a nursing home out of her house for ten years. She took homeless elderly into her home and clothed and fed them. Roberta started an adult education program and traveled to her students’ homes or met with them at her own home to teach basic education.
Roberta was an active member of the Harrisonburg NAACP and the Parent-Teacher Association. In 1943, Webb was the first African American member of the Broad Street Mennonite Church. Roberta lived in this house on Broad Street until 1966. She moved into a retirement home and was the first black resident at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg. For her 100th birthday in 1989, Roberta received a greeting from President and Mrs. Reagan. Roberta Webb died at age 101 on December 20, 1990, at the Oak Lea Nursing Home in Harrisonburg. After Robert’s death, a daycare center was founded in her honor. The Roberta Webb Child Care Center and Preschool opened in the fall of 1994 on Kelley Street and operated until 2024. Roberta Webb’s former home is now privately owned.
