History of Salem, Virginia

A Guide to Historic Salem -- Volume 1, Number 2 -- Autumn 1995

"Young Family of Six Occupies, Renovates Famed Evans House" by Mary Hill

"Ballpark Lives On In Hearts Of Salem" by Delores L. Mitchell

"State Society Gets Painting of Salem" Beyer Auction

"Descendant Renews 'Connections' With Salem of 250 Years Ago" by Wendy James

"Herbs Typical of 19th Century Featured in Museum Garden" by Mary Johnson

"Old School Bus to Go to Roanoke Museum" by Lon Savage



Young Family of Six Occupies, Renovates Famed Evans House
By Mary Hill
It's been a good long time since there was hand-churned ice cream in the freezer of the Evans House at 213 North Broad Street.

Hand-churned ice cream in the freezer, and a doll house in the bedroom, and stuffed bunnies on the mantle, and a race-car in the corner, and a big yellow plastic baseball bat in the back yard....

Not to mention new wiring, plumbing, lighting, mason work, roofing, plaster, paint, molding, doorways, floors, ceilings, walls, bathrooms, out-buildings, gardens, and so on, ad infinitum.

After years of sitting dark and vacant with a "sale" sign in the front yard, the old Evans House--one of Salem's most famous homes and one of only a few on the National Registry of Historic Places--has been given a new lease on life. And for that, we have the Reinhards to thank.

The family of six moved to Salem last fall in a whirl of energy that continues still. "We drove up to the house a half hour before class started on the first day of school last September," says Stella Reinhard. "We had just enough time to brush the kids' teeth, change their clothes, and take them to school... And it's been busy ever since."

It's difficult to think how could life be anything else with four children--nine-year-old Adam, seven-year-old Noelle, six-year-old Eden, and three-year-old London, two cats, two cocker-spaniels and a full-scale remodeling project in mid-swing.

The Reinhards are, in their words, "basically small town folk." James and Stella grew up in the same small farming community of Greenville, Illinois, dated in high school and college, and married after graduation. Relocating to Hanover, New Hampshire, they lived in the country with a brook and colonial-era stone walls; Stella worked as a commercial artist while James studied psychiatry at Dartmouth and Harvard.

"We wanted to move to Virginia for several reasons," says James. "Virginia is remarkably similar to the area where we'd been living in Hanover, except the winters aren't so long here.... Virginia is also culturally similar to the area where we're from originally in Illinois... and here, we'd be much closer to our family."

But the main reason the Reinhards found themselves settling in Salem was undoubtedly the Evans House itself.

Built in 1882 by John Evans, a prominent merchant and farmer, the house is a testament to Salem's boom-days--a time when great hopes for the town's growth and prosperity were generated by the railroad's arrival in the vicinity. From its finely-cut white walnut doors to its decorative central tower and seven working fireplaces, the Evans House is reminiscent of a fanciful story-book home; in fact, area school children sometimes refer to it as "the gingerbread house." Certainly one of Virginia's finest examples of the Second French Empire style of architecture, the Evans House employs such basic motifs as a mansard roof, ornamented dormers and a bracketed cornice. Although the home has relatively few bedrooms, its bold outline imparts an impression of space, elegance, and grandeur.

"When James was being interviewed for a position with a hospital in Catawba," says Stella, "I was going around with a real estate agent to see the different neighborhoods.... As we drove down Broad Street, the agent mentioned that there was a lovely old house that had been on the market for some time.... When I saw [the Evans House], I was hoping she'd say that this was the one...."

The Reinhards, who had originally intended to buy land in the country and build a home that Stella herself designed, were taken by the Evans House's elegance and old-world charm. "Something clicked," Stella says, when she saw it.

And so, James accepted the position as Medical Director of the state hospital in Catawba, the kids settled into their classrooms at West Salem school, and Stella began to plan....

The Evans House needed a few obvious modifications. For one: the infamous kitchen. When talking to folks around town, the first thing you hear about the previous owners of the house is that Mr. Webber was an upstanding citizen and high-ranking mason; the second thing you hear is that Mrs. Webber hated cooking. Soon after buying the Evans House in 1947, the Webbers turned the kitchen into a breakfast room, and modified the pantry to include the sink and stove. The present kitchen, which is not much larger than a modestly-proportioned row-boat, is situated in what was formerly a servant's stairwell.

"There are times both James and I are in there, elbow to elbow, trying to fix dinner, and all the kids start to pack in..." says Stella. "You can imagine...."

Fixing the kitchen is just the beginning.The Reinhards decided to begin their renovation by stripping off old wallpaper, running new electrical wire, replastering, and painting. As the walls were bared, however, several "ghostmarks" (slight impressions on the floors, walls, ceilings, etc., that give clues to the house's original features) were exposed. For example, the hallway apparently had a picture rail or a decorative plaster molding running along its upper-most portion at an earlier time--as indicated by a grayish band along the top of the wall and intermittent nail holes. Other marks indicate that several original doors had been walled-over or reshaped.

Using these clues, the Reinhards are striving to restore the Evans House closer to its original form. They are re-opening and shaping some doors, as well as eventually installing compatible crown molding throughout. They have already reopened an area under the staircase that had been converted into a closet, and have removed a bathroom that had been built in the upstairs hallway. The front porch will remain as is, but with brick steps replacing the wooden ones; and a wrought-iron railing (long since removed) will once again be added to the small upstairs "lemon-ade porch" overlooking the front lawn. The couple are also polishing up existing chandeliers or adding them in all the formal rooms. And all of the house's heart-of-pine floors will be refinished, except for in the entrance hall where a more formal marble or tile will be used. In addition, they are repairing the roof, carpeting the upstairs hall, and putting in two new bathrooms.

One of their most impressive changes is opening up the Evans House's tower. Initially used as an attic storage area, the tower was closed off when the house was built in order to prevent excessive heat loss. The Reinhards' renovation--complete with stained glass windows and a painted fresco that Stella herself plans to design--will dramatically increase the vertical space of the upper hall.

And as for the biggest challenge of all--the kitchen? Stella Reinhard says she's still mulling over what exactly to do about that. She knows she wants to expand the kitchen into an adjoining room, to enlarge its fireplace in order to suggest a servant's hearth, to put in an exterior door, and to raise the kitchen ceiling--which means raising the floor of the old servants quarters directly above the adjoining room, building up the second-story walls, and raising the roof over the back of the house.

In addition, the family has some ambitious ideas for their yard and out-buildings.

The essential lay-out of the lot will remain as is: a large play area directly behind the house, followed by a hedge of boxwood separating a small garden spot --and further curtained at the rear property line by a row of pine trees. The Reinhards will move the existing rose bushes into a more formal area on the right side of the garden, where they will erect a small gazebo. To the left, Stella will plant rows of vegetables and berries, separated by brick posts with a lattice in between.

They also plan to put the side yards to more use. On one side, they may build a small greenhouse, edged by a wildflower butterfly garden; on the other, a small square herb garden with a fountain in the center. Eventually, they also plan to enclose the carport to make a two-story out-building with a mansard roof.

Stella admits that the renovations have snowballed. "The mason came by to give work on widening a door, and I ended up getting an estimate for having him put on a new front porch.... Some things have just come to me.... I'll wake up in the middle of the night with ideas about what to do...."

The Reinhards are adopting Salem's lifestyle with ease. "I like being able to walk with the kids down the street to the library or farmer's market," says Stella. "The church is only two doors away..." The children "are settling in well," Stella says. "Last winter, they built snowmen and set up a hot chocolate stand... They're taking cello and violin lessons at Ridenhour's down the street...

The Reinhards, in making a home on North Broad Street, have given Salem its own exquisite treasure--an emblem of its glory days, brimming with life again.

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Ballpark Lives on in Hearts of Salem
By Delores L. Mitchell
If you can kick it, throw it, dribble it, or pass it, it has been done on Salem Municipal Field. Home of professional baseball in Salem since 1939, the field -- that was replaced this summer as home of Salem's professional baseball team -- is a city landmark with a long and storied career.

It is situated in the middle of a neighborhood called East Bottom, a seven acre tract of land bordered by Florida Street, Sixth Street, and the Boulevard. The land was purchased in 1926 for $8,000 as the site for an elementary school. That plan was later abandoned and the decision made to turn the field into a year-round recreation area. In 1931, six thousand yards of dirt were brought in, and the site leveled to become a high school football field in the fall, a baseball diamond in the summer, and a public playground.

Curtis Turner of Salem remembers using black powder to blast the steep hill of dirt, where the seats are now situated, and spreading the dirt. Opening day was Saturday, October 15, 1932, at which time the field was dedicated with festivities by the Kiwanis Club. A football game between Salem High and Jefferson High of Roanoke was the main event. The game ended in a scoreless tie.

Whatever sport was in season has been played there for over 60 years -- even donkey baseball. The batter would climb up on a donkey and try to get around to all the bases. It was a meeting place for friends and the center of entertainment for others. Halloween parties started downtown but always ended on the field. Fourth of July fireworks were a big event. Many people in Salem have commented, "I grew up on that field."

Professional baseball first came to Salem Municipal Field in 1939 with the Salem Wolves, later called the Salem Friends. War-time tire and gas rationing in 1943 sent the franchise to Roanoke; the team became the Roanoke Red Sox of the Piedmont League. But that league collapsed in 1953.

Baseball bounced back to Salem in 1955 and became the Salem Rebels of the Appalachian League of Class D baseball, just about as low as a team could get. During the middle 1960s, Calvin Falwell of Lynchburg, cousin of the famous Jerry, asked Salem to become part of the Class A, Carolina League, a big step up and just three rungs below the Majors. They dropped the contract, then picked it up again in 1987. Now the team is associated with the Colorado Rockies.

Was it the mountains, the game, the beer or the people that made baseball at Salem Municipal Field so important to so many? Even now, with the new ten million dollar Memorial Stadium in use, Salem Municipal Field will always have a place in the hearts of the people who grew up there.

City Council renamed the old diamond "Kiwanis Field" on May 1, 1995, and it will still be available for young people and amateur leagues to use.

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State Society Gets Painting of Salem

It has long been a wish of area history buffs that the Salem Museum acquire Edward Beyer's famous 1855 painting of Salem.

That possibility came up, and was then dashed, this summer when the painting went on sale in an auction in Charlottesville. Although a group of Salemites tried to buy it, they, alas, were out-gunned by heavier bidders. The painting (which coincidentally was on Page 1 of the first issue of this publication in June) is now the property of the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond.

Dr. Warren Moorman, former president of the Salem Historical Society, and David Robbins, current president, spearheaded the effort to buy the painting, after learning that it was to be one of more than 800 items in the estate of the late Dr. Henry P. Deyerle of Harrisonburg to be auctioned by Sotheby's on May 27 at the Boar's Head Inn. They contacted area people and raised about $30,000 in promises -- enough, they hoped, to bring the painting to Salem.

It didn't come close. The opening bid was $30,000, Dr. Moorman said, and he and his wife watched in awe as the bidding shot up to $75,000, to $100,000 and kept going. The hammer fell at $118,000; after fees and taxes the price amounted to about $125,000, Moorman said. The bidding went so fast and so high that the audience applauded at the end.

The painting was purchased by an anonymous buyer who contributed it to the Virginia Historical Society, where it is today. It will go on display in Richmond on October 14, as part of the society's permanent exhibit of "400 years of Virginia history," according to Giles Cromwell of the Virginia Society.

Beyer's oil painting of Salem once hung on the wall of the Hotel Lucerne (also known as the Duval Hotel) in Salem.

Dr. Moorman, who is also a member of the Virginia Historical Society, is philosophic about the sale. "Salem lost a treasure," he said, "but the Virginia Historical Society gained one."

Beyer, a German born in 1820, came to Virginia in the early 1850s and painted numerous scenes of Virginia life, homes, towns and spas. He did at least thirty-two other paintings in oil on canvas, including one of Bellevue, the Lewis homestead in Salem (it, too, was sold at the auction May 27 -- for $63,000).

Beyer is best known, however, for his Album of Virginia, a collection of forty lithographs done from sketches of Virginia scenes in the 1850s, including many in this area. He returned to Germany to have the lithographs made but came back to Virginia to sell them. Copies of the original lithographs are in much demand today and adorn the walls of numerous area homes.

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Historic Salem encourages reports and letters with personal experiences and comments of historical interest relating to Salem. This report is from Wendy James, a medical transcriptionist, a Saturday docent at the Salem Historical Society Museum, a choir member of Salem Presbyterian Church and membership chair and assistant treasurer of the Southwestern Virginia Genealogical Society based in Roanoke. Descendant Renews 'Connections' With Salem of 250 Years Ago

by Wendy James

Two years ago, I was able to begin living a dream. I made connections back through the past 250 years to one of my ancestor families in ways I could not have believed.

I left my home, job and all my relatives and friends in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington and journeyed to Salem-Roanoke to begin a new chapter in my life in the area near where my ancestors once lived. These had included the families of my Great-Times-Eight Grandfather William Bryan Senior, an Irish immigrant, and other European immigrants had first settled in the Shenandoah and Roanoke River Valleys in the 1740s. My family history research had begun in 1979 with my Bryan family, and years of collected data intrigued me creating a desire not only to visit the area but to experience living there.

I flew into Roanoke for a job- and home-scouting trip in early April 1993. Driving to Salem, my excitement was indescribable as I headed west on Highway 11. My sensitive-to-history eyes first fastened upon the beautiful "Salem Historical Museum" off to the right at the top of a big slanting open space called Longwood Park. This was evidence that the community cared about families with children and its past, and I knew then I would become involved with the Museum and its activities. Plans are currently in progress for an official "Salem Visitors' Center" to be located in the Carriage House of the now-gone Longwood House, for which the park is named. Soon after starting my volunteer work as a docent, I learned about the dedicated effort by the "Save Our Salem" group to form the interests of the future Society, to save local historic landmark, and to salvage the Williams-Brown House-Store for the Salem Historical Society's Museum and headquarters. I also discovered I am related to the house's Williams, Brown and Pillow families. The builder, William Curle Williams, married William Bryan Senior's great granddaughter Margaret. Here was one of my first newly-discovered connections!

As I entered Salem's Main Street, apparently its historic business district, I loved the blending of old and new architectural styles -- for example, the colonial Salem Presbyterian Church with the contemporary Salem Public Library -- places where I knew I would be spending lots of time. As it turns out, William Bryan Senior was one of the founding elders of the area Presbyterian worshipers, from which the Salem Presbyterian Church evolved. Another connection!

When I first arrived at the Lake Spring Park, where my William Bryan Senior had first settled the property and is buried in West Hill Cemetery on "Tank Hill" overlooking the park, I was so overcome with "connectedness" that my eyes welled up with tears and pride. My trek up to the cemetery afforded a great view of the town and that mountain landmark I knew about, Twelve O'Clock Knob, a strong focal point even to those early settlers. A proud Bryan ancestor had erected a modest but elegant monumental standing stone honoring William Bryan Senior in 1927; otherwise, there were just small footstones with his initials plus those of his son and daughter-in-law, William Bryan Junior and Margaret Watson Bryan, who are also buried there.

One of my first local trips was to see the East Hill Cemetery where Salem's most famous local hero is buried -- Andrew Lewis Senior. In my research of the Lewis family, I discovered that William Bryan Senior's granddaughter Margaret married Andrew Lewis Junior. This was yet another newly discovered connection!

During the two-plus years I have lived here, I have continued to be impressed with the progressive outlook for the area combined with a continuing respect for the past. For example, the proposed greenway, a recreation access for area residents, will tie in the local Civil War battlefield, hopefully protecting it from future undesirable development or destruction. The Salem Visitors' Center will certainly increase awareness of what Salem has to offer both travelers and potential residents. The recent publication of the first issue of "The Salem Phone Directory," distributed in November 1994 by Community Publishing of Salem, is further proof that the feeling of community is widespread and invites the newcomer to "get to know your local area and businesses."

Great-Times-Eight Grandfather Bryan would be proud of the town he named, and I am extremely proud of the town I now call my own.

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Herbs Typical of 19th Century Featured in Museum Garden by Mary Johnson
In all of recorded history, herbs were an important part of every household. The history of herbs dates back to 512 A.D. with the writings of Dioscorides in his Materia Medica. Kings experimented with herbal medicines, and even the august Charlemagne gave orders for the planting of herbs with the vegetables. His is probably the much-quoted definition of herbs, "The friend of the physician and the pride of cooks."

A more modern definition comes from Adelma Simmons of Caprilands in Coventry, Connecticut: "A herb is any plant that is useful to man valued for its medicinal, savory, and aromatic qualities. It is a plant not merely to look at but to use. A herb is a garden plant which has been cherished for itself and for a use and has not come down to us as a purely decorative thing."

The Salem Museum's unique four square herb garden features a collection of herbs typical to the area during 1845-1890. The garden, designed and installed by the Roanoke Master Gardener Association in April 1994, was a community project in the truest sense of the word: plants were contributed by The Herb Society of Southwestern Virginia, Tyler Rose Nursery, and local residents; fencing was donated by Pam Ogden; and the garden has been maintained through the efforts of master gardeners.

The garden is open to the public during normal operating hours at the Salem Museum -- Tuesday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday, from noon to 5:00 p.m. A map of the garden may be obtained at the volunteer desk. The Museum also now offers herbal sachets made at the Brown House for sale in the museum gift shop.

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Old School Bus to Go to Roanoke Museum
by Lon Savage
That old school bus you see parked at the corner of Eighth Street and Delaware Avenue is going to spend this winter in heated quarters.

C. Edward Gillespie, president of Salem Quality Equipment Co., owner of the bus, said the company has recently agreed to let it be displayed this winter in the Roanoke Transportation Museum. The move will come some time this fall, and until then it will remain where it is -- parked under a low roof beside the company's offices and shops at 501 Eighth Street.

The bus, a 1934 Dodge, served as Roanoke County's School Bus No. 17 in the 1930s and early '40s, carrying about fifty children to and from school in the Cave Spring area. The bus, with only 52 inches inside in floor-to-ceiling height, still has chalk marks and drawings -- a valentine-shaped heart, for instance -- done by children on the ceiling. Children who rode the bus sat on narrow benches running along both sides and, back to back, on a slightly wider bench that runs down the middle.

The bus was donated to the company, which distributes Blue Bird school and church buses, by the late Charles M. Dotson, longtime school bus driver/mechanic/contractor/welder for Roanoke County Schools. He gave it on condition that it "never is to be modified or sold, " Gillespie says, but is to be used solely for historical purposes.

"We use it for parades, shows, expositions and historical events," Gillespie said.

In making the gift Dotson put it in the custody of his longtime friend, Charles Gillespie, who was then president of the company and father of the current president. The older Gillespie previously had served as supervisor of school transportation for Roanoke County Schools.

The Transportation Museum in Roanoke recently approached the company about the bus, and they agreed to place it there for this winter, Gillespie said. The bus will be in Salem's Christmas parade this year and "most likely will come back" to Salem next spring or summer, he added.

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