Raised as a slave, she received her diploma in education from Atlanta University and gained a nationwide reputation for her charitable work with orphans.

When the Civil War ended, Watts located to Atlanta, and lived in the Summerhill neighborhood, which at the time was the center of black society.

Eventually, Pace employed three Atlanta University graduates, including her niece Anne Mae Watts, to work at the school.

A plaque at the Washington Street Community Center recognizes the importance of Pace and her school to Newton County history.

She was buried at South-View Cemetery in Atlanta,[1][3] after her funeral service was held at the Reed Street Baptist Church, which she had helped establish.

[2] She came to be known as the "Mother of the Community" for her work as a social activist and business woman,[12] but perhaps her biggest legacy was the education she provided for the more than 700 students who passed through her school.