Lucy F. Simms (1855 or 1856 − 1934) was a former slave and educator who lived in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. She is one of those commemorated on the Emancipation and Freedom Monument in Richmond, Virginia.

Personal life

Lucy Frances (or Francis) Simms was born enslaved in 1855 or 1856 on one of the estates owned by the Gray family in either Harrisonburg or

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

. Her mother was Jane Simms, who married John Wilson in 1865. Simms was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

of strong moral convictions and was held in great esteem and affection by both school children and the community.

Career

Formal education for emancipated slaves became available from 1863, after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, although they were not permitted to attend the existing schools. In Harrisonburg purpose-built school buildings were provided by the state after 1870. Simms was initially educated in Harrisonburg at the Whipple School founded by the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was an agency of early Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South. It was established on March 3, 1865, and operated briefly as a ...

but from 1874 she attended the

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

in Virginia and graduated in 1877 with a teaching certificate of the first degree. While at college she met

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

who was also a student there. Simms returned to Harrisonburg in 1877. Simms became a leader promoting education in Harrisonburg. During her 56 year teaching career she is estimated to have taught 1800 pupils over three generations. She taught at three schools. Her first post from 1877 was at Longs Chapel, also known as the Athens Colored School in a settlement later called Zenda. She moved to a better salary at a school located in the basement of Harrisonburg's Catholic Church and then in 1882 to the newly constructed Effinger Street school in north-eastern Harrisonburg where she remained for 52 years. The school's site was on the former Hilltop estate of the Gray family. During her career she returned to the Hampton Institute several times for continuing professional development courses that were held during summer vacations. In 1914 she became the president of the Colored Teachers Association and also a member of a committee for war work during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1925 she was presented with a silver cup by the citizens of Harrisonburg in recognition of her public service. She continued teaching until the end of the 1933-34 school year.

Death and legacy

Simms died on July 10, 1934. Her funeral was a public event with people, especially children, lining the route from her home to the

Newtown Cemetery Newtown Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is located in the northern part of the city, bounded on the north by Kelley Street and the west by Sterling Street. It is bisected by an extension of Effinger Street, which no ...

. After the Effinger Street school was rebuilt in 1938, it was re-named the Lucy F. Simms School in 1939. The Lucy F. Simms Educator of the Year award was initiated in 2008 to recognise excellence in local education. The Emancipation and Freedom Monument in Richmond, Virginia was inaugurated in 2021 and includes Simms's name, photograph and story. She was selected for inclusion from among a hundred candidates and was included as one of five Virginians of note who fought for equality after emancipation in 1863. From 2021 a biography of Simms will be used in Rockingham County and Harrisonburg schools in Virginia within the history and social studies curriculum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Lucy F. 1934 deaths Schoolteachers from Virginia African-American schoolteachers People from Harrisonburg, Virginia 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators Hampton University alumni American freedmen 19th-century American women educators 19th-century American educators 19th-century American slaves 19th-century African-American women 19th-century African-American educators