A much loved elementary school teacher, Julia E. Test was born in Germany in 1848. When Julia was four years old, her family emigrated to the United States, settling in Cincinnati. Her parents died soon after in a cholera epidemic, and Julia and her sister were placed in an orphan asylum. Alpheus and Elizabeth Test, Quakers from Richmond, adopted Julia and allowed her to receive the best education available. She attended several Friends schools, including Hiram Hadley's teachers' school.
She began her career when she was 19 and remained in the Richmond school system for more than 50 years, teaching in the old Garfield building on North 8th and the Warner building on North 7th. She also served as the principal of the Warner School.
As a tribute to the beloved educator, the school that was built in 1922-23 was named the Julia E. Test Junior High School (now Middle School) in her honor. It is the only Richmond school named after a woman.
