Thomas Lynn | The Valdosta Daily TimesTom Town residents and organizers gathered for the Ninth Annual Tom Town Community Day.

VALDOSTA — A crowd gathered at the corner of Troup and Mary streets to observes the legacy of Tom Simmons for the Ninth Annual Tom Town Community Day Saturday.

Attendees could have their blood pressure taken as well as have their blood sugar and cholesterol tested. There was also grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.

Barthaniel Werts put together the event and said Tom Town is more than just a bunch of homes. It’s a community that looks out for each other.

Tom Town, named after “Tom’s part of town,” celebrates a former slave who purchased land in East Gordon Street and East Ann Street.

Simmons developed the land and built a house, working off the land’s price by farming.

The land does not belong to Simmons’ descendants. It belongs to the city, according to some of his descendants, and Simmons’ descendants don’t know why.

His relatives were hesitant to talk about the Simmons time period and kept referring to it as “back in those days.”

Werts said the event is about bringing everyone together and honoring the past. It is a community event open for everyone.

“You don’t have to be from Tom Town to celebrate,” Werts said. “We want everyone to come and feel welcome.”

Henry Foster, a descendant of Simmons, attends the get-together every year. Foster has lived in Valdosta his whole life and Simmons is Foster’s great-great-great-grandfather.

“As long as they do this, I’m here,” Foster said. “It’s an important day.”

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256