Salem Museum in Salem, Virginia
Preserving 300+ years of history, art, and sports in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains
Surgeon, Soldier, Patriot: The Life of William Fleming
Thursday January 8, 7pm via Zoom
Explore the life and legacy of a Roanoke Valley colonial hero with “Surgeon, Soldier, Patriot: The Life of William Fleming.” This free Salem Museum speaker series talk will be on Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM, livestreamed exclusively on Zoom.
Zoom Link HERE
In his talk, Salem Museum Executive Director Garrett Channell will examine the life of Colonel William Fleming, a pioneering figure in the history of the Commonwealth and the birth of the nation. Born and educated as a surgeon in Scotland, Fleming immigrated to the colony of Virginia and became a noted physician and statesman. He fought alongside George Washington and Andrew Lewis during the French and Indian War, served as a surgeon throughout the Commonwealth, and briefly became the third Governor of Virginia during the Revolutionary War. Channell’s talk will closely examine Fleming’s storied life and lasting legacy.
Readjusting the Old Dominion
Join Salem Museum Assistant Director Hunter Haskins as he explores the powerful story of the Readjusters, a long-forgotten 1880s Virginia political movement that achieved remarkable socio-economic reforms for whites and African Americans. Formed to battle the Commonwealth’s crippling debt crisis and its impact on public services, the Readjusters oversaw a transformative period in the state’s educational and infrastructural development that welcomed and benefitted citizens of all races and backgrounds. However, following four years of political dominance from 1879-1883, the movement met a history-making end that, for more than a century, was stricken from Virginia history books. Who were these incredible Readjusters, and what legacy do they leave us today?
Held at the Friendship Retirement Community Chapel, 397 Hershberger Road, Roanoke, VA 24012. Roanokecwrt.com
"The Candidates" Staged Reading
Saturday February 21, 2pm
Volunteers willing to read roles in the play are needed! Please contact us if interested!
The Salem Museum is excited to host a staged reading of Colonel Robert Munford's “The Candidates; or, The Humours of a Virginia Election - A Comedy in Three Acts."
Written and set in the early 1770s on the eve of the American Revolution, this farcical tale about a Virginia House of Burgesses election satirizes the corrupt campaigning culture of the day. With stinging critiques of electioneering and witty dialogue to boot, Munford's three act comedy will be put on in the Roanoke Valley for the first time ever through a staged reading at the Salem Museum.
Volunteer Steve Aaron will lead this production, and is actively seeking participants to read for numerous characters. If interested in reading a part or volunteering on the project, please contact the Salem Museum via phone at 540-389-6760 or via email at info@SalemMuseum.org.
The First People of the Roanoke Valley
On Display in the Feature Gallery through Spring 2026
In 1671, European explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam encountered Totero Town, a village believed to have been located in present-day Salem and inhabited by Eastern Siouan-speaking members of the Tutelo tribe. Centuries later, the remains of this village were uncovered during archaeological excavations conducted during the construction of the James I. Moyer Sports Complex on the same site.
Visitors will look back into the time of the Tutelo and learn about the thriving world of the early Roanoke Valley. Drawing on archaeological artifacts, maps, and interpretive displays, the exhibits reveal how the Tutelo and other Eastern Siouan peoples shaped the land long before European settlement. Examine tools used in hunting, view pottery once storing a winter’s meal, and discover the many uses of animal hides and bones!
The Eastern Siouan of the Roanoke Valley
On Display on the Ground Floor through Spring 2026
Explore stories of Indigenous resistance and persistence in a dynamic new timeline display. Over the last 400 years, the Tutelo and Monacan Alliance have met challenges and created victories for themselves as they adapted to the changing world around them. Featuring illustrations and photographs of significant moments in Tutelo and Monacan history, this display reveals how their communities endured and evolved through centuries of transformation.
Teen Homeschool Literary Course
January 21, 4pm
Our American Literature unit begins with this coming-of-age novel set post-Civil War.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Open Tuesdays — Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm.
Closed on July 4; Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas; New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the day after New Years.
If the City of Salem Schools are closed for inclement weather, the Museum does not open.
LOCATION & DIRECTIONS
Located next to Longwood Park in Downtown Salem
801 East Main Street
Salem, Virginia 24153
From I-81, take exit 140 and head toward Salem on Thompson Memorial Blvd. At Main Street (US 460), turn left. Go .3 mile; the Salem Museum is located at the top of the hill on the left. Our entrance is across from the Berglund Ford service entrance. Look for the “OAKEY FIELD” sign. There is plenty of free, on-site parking.
ADMISSION IS FREE.
DONATIONS ARE
APPRECIATED!
Admission is FREE for all self-guided visitors.
Guided tours are $10 per adult age 15+, and $5 for children. For school groups and educational groups, students are $3 and chaperones are free. Group visits are available when booked at least two weeks in advance.
The Salem Museum & Historical Society is an independent nonprofit organization preserving and celebrating the history of Salem, Virginia, founded in 1802, as well as the surrounding areas.
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Sun - Mon: Closed
Tue - Sat: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Sun - Mon: Closed
Tue - Sat: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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