Historic Harrisonburg
Black History in Downtown Harrisonburg: A Lesson Plan
Newman’s gravestone in Newtown Cemetery
Photo courtesy of Ellie Fisher
Local Black History in the Classroom
Use this lesson outline/plan and scavenger hunt activity to highlight local Black history in your classroom. This lesson is designed for use in English or History classes and has aligned SOLs in 11th and 12th grade History, but can be adapted for other grades and courses. The scavenger hunt activity takes students around Downtown Harrisonburg to explore locations past and present where African American history is alive.
The teacher will lead or guide students to eight historical locations around the city! This tour will take 1-2 hours with students taking notes after visiting each location.
Use the buttons below to access slides for classroom use, a lesson plan outline for teachers, and a printable scavenger hunt packet:
Lesson Slides
Credit: Ellie Fisher and Ella Wadhams
Works Cited:
A Guide to the McHone (LLC) Collection of Houck Tannery Records, 1870–1913. SC 0172, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. James Madison University, https://aspace.lib.jmu.edu/repositories/4/resources/213. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Aubert, Alvin. “Nat Turner in the Clearing (For Students).” Furious Flower Archive: A Prototype, Furious Flower Poetry Center, 2023, https://furiousflower.org/nat-turner-in-the-clearing-lesson-plan/.
Aubert, Alvin. “Nat Turner in the Clearing (For Teachers).” Furious Flower Archive: A Prototype, Furious Flower Poetry Center, 2023, https://furiousflower.org/teacher-resources/.
Barr, Vincent. “Harrisonburg’s Downtown Historic District Building Tour.” ArcGIS StoryMaps, 9 May 2024, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/65c23d8e33544796a64438a6d8b53389.
“City of Harrisonburg History.” City of Harrisonburg, VA, https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/history. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Neighbors, Emily. “7 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in Harrisonburg.” Visit Harrisonburg Virginia, 1 Feb. 2024, https://www.visitharrisonburgva.com/7-meaningful-ways-to-celebrate-black-history-month-in-harrisonburg/.
Palmer, Rosemarie Joswick. “African American History in Harrisonburg, Virginia.” Visit Harrisonburg Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley, 3 Nov. 2022, https://www.visitharrisonburgva.com/african-american-history-in-harrisonburg-virginia/.
“Rocktown History.” Roots Run Deep, https://rootsrundeep.org/rocktown-history.html. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Sanchez, Sonia. “Catch The Fire (For Students).” Furious Flower Archive: A Prototype, Furious Flower Poetry Center, 2023, https://furiousflower.org/catch-the-fire-lesson-plan/.
Sanchez, Sonia. “Catch the Fire (For Teachers).” Furious Flower Archive: A Prototype, Furious Flower Poetry Center, 2023, https://furiousflower.org/teacher-resources/.
Sawin, Mark, and George A. Newman. “The World of George Newman and A Miserable Revenge.” A Miserable Revenge: A Story of Life in Virginia, edited by Mollie Godfrey, Brooks E. Hefner, Jeslyn Pool, and Evan Sizemore, James Madison University Libraries, 2025, pp. 331–68.