115-5035

Lucy F. Simms School

Harrisonburg (Ind. City)

VLR Listing Date

2003-12-03

NRHP Listing Date

2004-02-11

NHL Listing Date

NA

NRHP Reference Number

4000040

The Lucy F. Simms School is located at the corner of East Washington Street and Simms Avenue in the city of Harrisonburg. A mission school first addressed the need for an educational facility for the city’s African Americans in 1868, then in 1882 a brick school was built on Effinger Street. The Effinger School was condemned in 1937. A two-story brick school arose between 1938–1939, named for Lucy F. Simms, an African American teacher born into slavery in 1855 on the very land where the school stands. She had a long career as a teacher in the two earlier schools. The Virginia Department of Education provided plans for the building, which rests on a partially raised basement and was originally constructed asymmetrically: the two-story, four-room portion to the right was not built until 1961 because of cost overruns. The Lucy F. Simms School closed in 1966 but has been used since by civic organizations as well as for city administrative offices.

Last Updated: June 2, 2023

Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

Photo credit: Maral Kalbian, 2003

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

More Listings In Harrisonburg (Ind. City)

115-0006

Morrison House

"Virginia's Lost" Delisted Landmarks

115-0108

United States Post Office and Court House

Harrisonburg (Ind. City)

115-5132

Bethel AME Church and Dallard-Newman House Historic District

Harrisonburg (Ind. City)