 |
Twenty Decades: A
History of Salem through
200+ Years
Did you know that
Salem was the home of
Revolutionary War hero
Andrew Lewis? That silent
film star Charlie Hammitt
and Hollywood heartthrob
John Payne were from Salem?
That in the Civil War the
town was raided by Union
soldiers?
The story of Salem’s past
is the story of all of us
—an American hometown carved
from the wilderness when the
nation was new, growing
through the years but
retaining her own unique
charm. Come trace her
history from the days of
Totera Indians to modern
times in our exhibit “Twenty
Decades.” |
|
|
 |
Community and Courage:
The African- American Experience
in Salem
In 1868, freed slaves in
Salem purchased land from the
estate of their former master.
Those purchases became the
genesis of the Water Street
Community—Salem’s premiere
African-American neighborhood.
Here homes, churches,
businesses, schools and social
organizations flourished in the
face of segregation. Through
generations of slavery,
injustice, and finally Civil
Rights victories, the citizens
of Water Street persevered and
built a sense of community that
has endured. |
|
|
|
Black Women: Achievement Against
the Odds |
|
An exhibition featuring
the achievements of black
women in the areas of art,
education, civil rights,
business, medicine,
literature, entertainment,
government, journalism,
labor, and law. Developed by
the Smithsonian Institute,
distributed by the Virginia
Foundation for the
Humanities, and supplemented
by a display of artifacts
interpreting the local
history of African American
women.
|
|
|
From Doodads to Deeds:
A Hodge Podge of Relics from
the Salem Museum Collection
|
|
An exhibit showcasing
local items from the odd to
the absurd which have found
their way into the Salem
Museum's collection over the
years. Featuring a special "Whatzit
Corner" contest.
|
|
|
Women for All Seasons:
Artwork from the Salem Women
Watercolorists Calendar
|
 An
exhibition and silent auction of
watercolors by fourteen local
women artists created for the
Salem Museum's 1998 calendar.
All proceeds from the Women for
All Seasons Calendar & auction
support the operations of the
Salem Museum & Historical
Society. |
|
|
Diamonds in the Rough: A Century
of Baseball in the Valley |
 For generations Salemites have thrown horse-hide
covered spheres at men with
sticks. Our Summer 1999 featured
exhibit told the story of
baseball in Salem and the
Roanoke Valley, from the first
recorded game soon after the
Civil War, up to the current
Salem Avalanche minor league
franchise. |
|
|
Y2Kids: Through
The Eyes of our Children
|
|
|
50 Years Later: The
Korean War Remembered by
Valley Soldiers
|
 Long called the Forgotten War, the
history of America's combat in
Korea was told thorugh this
featured exhibit marking the
war's 50th anniversary. A
chronological history of the
Korean Conflict was punctuated
with the experiences of local
vets, including survivors of the
Chosin Reservoir, one the war's
most savage battles. |
|