Last updated: December 29, 2020
Place
Simmons High School
Quick Facts
Location:
Montgomery, WV
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
The first black school in Fayette County was established in 1879 here in Montgomery, WV with a school term of four months. The school grew as more African American families moved to the area. In 1898, the Board of Education constructed a six-room building as the black grade school and in 1919 added secondary grades to the school. This building served as Montgomery’s all-black school until 1923 when the students moved to the new “Simmons” school. The school was named for Rev. J. W. Simmons of Louisville, Kentucky.
The new Simmons High School was a modern, well-equipped building. Students from as far away as Edmond, Winona, and Paint Creek traveled by train to attend school. In 1926, the school was destroyed by fire and students attended classes in the Old Fellows Lodge and local black churches. A new school was opened in 1928 with a dormitory on the campus to accommodate students living in the district.
The school provided its students with a high standard of academic literacy, athletic completion, music and arts, and scholarship. Its first graduating class consisted of three students and by the time the school was integrated in 1956, one thousand and thirty-seven students had graduated. Simmons High School closed its doors at the end of the 1956 school year.
The new Simmons High School was a modern, well-equipped building. Students from as far away as Edmond, Winona, and Paint Creek traveled by train to attend school. In 1926, the school was destroyed by fire and students attended classes in the Old Fellows Lodge and local black churches. A new school was opened in 1928 with a dormitory on the campus to accommodate students living in the district.
The school provided its students with a high standard of academic literacy, athletic completion, music and arts, and scholarship. Its first graduating class consisted of three students and by the time the school was integrated in 1956, one thousand and thirty-seven students had graduated. Simmons High School closed its doors at the end of the 1956 school year.