Lucy Frances Simms: From Slavery to Revered Public Service

MacAllister, Dale

Discover the amazing story of Harrisonburg, Virginia's beloved teacher, Lucy Frances Simms. Born into slavery just a few years before the Civil War, in freedom Ms. Simms chose a path of public service, traveling across the state to earn her teaching credentials at Hampton Institute, and then returning to the Shenandoah Valley where she spent nearly six decades guiding generations of African-American children in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area. Although the better part of a century has passed since her death, the accolades continue for this pioneering education whose strength of character and leadership provide a powerful story that continues to resonate today.

Education in Harrisonburg, Virginia

304 pages, Lot's Wife Publishing, 2020.

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