Lyons Farm Elementary School picked as name for newest DPS location in nod to Black family who owned the land

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The newest elementary school in the Durham Public Schools district will be named after a family of Black farmers.

Lyons Farm Elementary School is the name chosen after nearly 700 community members weighed in with their suggestions and comments about the name for the upcoming school.

The school will be located in southern Durham off Scott King Road. The property once hosted farmhouses and a thriving tobacco boom.

The Lyons family once owned the land and leased portions of it out to tobacco farmers. The family worked tirelessly through post-reconstruction and much of the 1900s against attempts to remove them from the land they rightfully owned.

The Lyons family is one of many African American families responsible for growth and economic opportunities for Durham and its people.

"We hope by selecting a name for the school that honors the family that once owned the property, we are capturing the importance of the past, present, and future of the area and its infinite possibilities," Durham Public Schools said in a statement.

Construction is already underway on the $30 million Lyons Farm Elementary School. It's unclear at this time when it will begin accepting students.