Washington Park in Roanoke, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Lucy Addison
(1861 - 1937)
Lucy Addison, a pioneering educator who served Black students in Roanoke for 41 years, was born in Fauquier Co. to enslaved parents. Educated in Philadelphia, she moved here to teach in 1886. She became principal of the Harrison School in 1917 and expanded its curriculum beyond grade eight, creating Roanoke's first four-year Black high school. Accredited in 1925, this was among the largest schools for Black students in VA led by a woman. Addison sat on the board of nearby Burrell Memorial Hospital and of the Industrial Home School for Colored Girls in Hanover Co. In 1928, Roanoke opened the 19-classroom Lucy Addison High School, the city's first public building named for a resident.
Erected 2025 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-185.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Women. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.
Location. 37° 16.964′ N, 79° 56.467′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia. It is in Washington Park.
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Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region and in Southwest Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Washington Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gainsboro Branch Library (approx. 0.4 miles away); Claytor Memorial Clinic (approx. 0.4 miles away); Edward Richard Dudley III (1911-2005) (approx. 0.4 miles away); Burrell Memorial Hospital
Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 23 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
