An Introduction to the Early African-American Communities of the Shenandoah ValleyIn the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, there is the saying, you are "from here or come here". It is in reference to the families that have ancestors dating back to the late 1700's and 1800's versus those families that moved here, even if it was many years ago. Following the Civil War, many Black families stayed in the Valley. Most whose ancestors had already been here for several generations. Some of the communities that started at that time still exist today and some have long since disappeared. Almost all had at least one church, a school and a cemetery. Some communities had post offices and their own aid societies, to help with burial costs for those who needed it. Here is an introduction to a few of those early communities.
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Bachman's Research on Antebellum HarrisonburgRyan Bach man writes, "Prior to the Civil War, the downtown Harrisonburg area contained a vibrant, property owning African American community. Today, almost no traces of that community remain. Property records reveal not only the physical locations where these people lived, but also information regarding their everyday lives." In 2017, Ryan Bachman presentation his research on African American Property Ownership in Antebellum Harrisonburg, Virginia. A clear look at where the Peters, Gibson and other antebellum Black families lived in Harrisonburg.
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Mining in the Valley and the Riot at Liberty FurnaceThis presentation details the history of mining on the Shenandoah Valley and the role of slavery including race relations after emancipation. It also highlights the riot at 1880 Liberty Furnace in Shenandoah County.
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One Room Schools and the Students they ServedSlideshow of photos and bits of history on African American schools in the Shenandoah Valley. Below is a document of Rosemarie Palmer's research on African American Schools in Rockingham County.
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Effinger Street SchoolOur previous intern, Lauryn Miller presents here research on the Effinger Street School in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Effinger was the first public African American school in they city.
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Lucy Frances SimmsThis presentation by Dale MacAllister covers the life of Lucy Frances Simms, and African American education who taught at Effinger Street School in Harrisonburg, Virginia. MacAllister has published a book on his research titled Lucy Frances Simms: From Slavery to a Lifetime of Public Service.
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Zenda
This presentation by Dale MacAllister tells the history of Zenda, a former African American community in Rockingham County. Zenda was a community of former enslaved families that came to together to establish a safe space to live, farm, attend chuch and school, and bury their loved ones. Long's Chapel is the only standing structure of the once tight-knit community.
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Zenda's HomecomingSlide show of the July 2014 & 2015 Open Houses at Long's Chapel and Newspaper Articles contributed by June White.
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Charity L. Derrow's, "The Barrenness of a Cemetery; Examining Patterns of the Fragmented African-American Community in Broadway, Virginia"JMU student Charity L. Derrow researched and documented African American burials in the Linville Creek Church of the Brethren in Broadway, Virginia.
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Anderson and Aggy Anderson, Free Black Family In Brocks Gap, 1807-1845Pat Turner Ritchie presents her work on the Anderson family were a free black family living in Rockingham County. Digital copy of her work can be found on the library page.
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Tuskegee Airmen with Clinton DavisThis presentation is about America's first black military airmen trained at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
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