Lucy F. Simms (ca. 1856-1934)

Lucy F. Simms was born enslaved and grew up in present-day Harrisonburg. She earned a teaching certificate from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (later Hampton University) in 1877. Like fellow Hampton graduate Booker T. Washington, Simms dedicated her life to education. After teaching for a year in rural Rockingham County, she accepted a position in Harrisonburg. During her 56-year career, she taught an estimated 1,800 students spanning several generations. In 1939, the City of Harrisonburg opened the Lucy F. Simms School near her childhood home. Simms was selected in 2017 to be one of ten Virginians represented on the Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument in Richmond.

Department of Historic Resources, 2021