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Start Over Names Walker, Ellen, 1951-

Ellen Walker interviewed by Wondwossen Getachew 01:20:00 Duration (HH:MM:SS.mmm)

Records the reminiscences of Ellen Walker, who purchased and renovated Lucy Simms' Harrisonburg house in 1997. Describes her childhood and school experiences in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the 1950s and 1960s, during the transition from segregation to integration. Discusses the economic and social impact of segregation on the school systems. Relates how she moved to Harrisonburg in 1994, where she found the Simms house, abandoned and in disrepair. Describes the process of buying the house from the City of Harrisonburg and renovating it with the help of volunteers from the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Mentions a number of Simms' papers and letters found in the attic, during renovation. Describes Simms' family, including her mother, sister, and two brothers; John Simms and Ulysses Wilson. Gives a brief account of the final days and death of Lucy Simms in the house, in 1934.

  1. James Madison University
  2. Lucy Simms oral histories

Lucy Simms oral histories 0.09 cubic feet 5 folders, 6 audiocassettes

Getachew, Wondwossen
The oral history collection includes the recollections of Carlotta Harris, Edgar Johnson and wife, Wilhelmina Johnson, Louise Winston, and Elon Rhodes, former students of Lucy Simms, and Ellen Walker, current owner of the Lucy Simms house.
  1. James Madison University

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