Longs Chapel
Also known as: Long's Chapel; Old Athens Church; Athens Colored School; DHR file no. 082-5264
Why it's listed
Longs Chapel is a small frame church and schoolhouse on Fridley's Gap Road in eastern Rockingham County, Virginia, probably built in 1871. It measures about twenty by thirty feet and has weatherboard siding, a metal roof, limestone piers, a small belfry and an apse added around 1900. It was affiliated with the Church of the United Brethren and built under the direction of Jacob Long, a white farmer. The building served the African American community of Zenda, then called Athens, and doubled as a school until a separate school opened in 1882. Lucy F. Simms, later a prominent Harrisonburg educator, began teaching here in the 1870s, and this is the only surviving building in Virginia where she is known to have taught. Behind the chapel is a cemetery with fieldstone markers and carved marble monuments. Services ended in the late 1920s, and the last burial occurred in 1935. A preservation society formed in 2005 to rehabilitate the chapel and tend the graves.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues for significance under Criteria A and B for its role in the county's Black ethnic heritage and in education. It is tied to the early teaching career of Lucy F. Simms and is a one-room rural school from the start of public education for African Americans during Reconstruction. It is the only extant building in Virginia where Simms is known to have taught.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 06001042, listed November 15, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1334B Fridley's Gap Rd., Harrisonburg |
|---|---|
| County | Rockingham County |
| Listed | November 15, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06001042 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1871-circa 1930 |
| Architect / builder | Long, Jacob (contractor); Orndorff, T. J. (tombstone maker) |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Neglected for many years and used as a hay barn in the later twentieth century; stabilization is underway with the goal of restoration. The cemetery had become overgrown and was cleared recently. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 38.51274, -78.76199 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 06001042.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15242814
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.