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Jenny Maxwell

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Lunch with History

I always love to sit in the exact spot where history was made— something you can do Thursday.

Bring a bag lunch to the Modjeska Simkins house and sit in the parlor where Simkins did so much of her ground-breaking work.

The event starts at 11:30, and it’s hosted by the American Association of University Women to celebrate Women’s History Month.  Simkins’s family members and Historic Columbia curators will be there to answer your questions and to tell you about Simkins, the house, and her role in our history.  

The event is free—but your hosts would like for you to reserve a space by 4pm tomorrow.  Call 803.454.0088.

Modjeska Simkins said, "I believe in confrontation....I believe in raising sand for those who need it.”  She was the only full-time African-American working in public health statewide in the 1930s.  Poverty and segregation led to high death rates among African-Americans from tuberculosis and pellagra.  She fought to get more equitable healthcare.

Simkins is also known for her role in the school desegregation case, Briggs v. Elliott, ultimately leading to Brown v. Board of Education making it to the Supreme Court.  Thurgood Marshall stayed in her home—in part because the city’s hotels were closed to him.

Last year, Simkins’s house was in the news—at risk again despite preservation efforts.  Simkins bought the house, at 2025 Marion Street downtown, in 1932.  When Simkins died in 1992, the house was left empty.  At one point, the city even considered tearing it down.  Most recently, Historic Columbia has stepped in and is now improving and managing the home.