Salem History | Salem Museum

(540) 389-6760

Salem Museum in Salem, Virginia

Preserving 300+ years of history, art, and sports in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

Cricket Hill - Gwynns Island Talk Square Flyer

The Battle of Cricket Hill: Andrew Lewis and the Battle of Gwynn's Island

Thursday February 12, 7pm via Zoom

Zoom Link Click HERE

Local Revolutionary War hero Andrew Lewis’ most famous clash with the British will be the subject of the Salem Museum’s latest speaker series talk entitled, “The Battle of Cricket Hill.” This free event will be on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM, livestreamed exclusively on Zoom.

In his talk, independent scholar Michael Rhodes will examine the expulsion of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore by Virginia Patriot forces under the command of General Andrew Lewis. The last Royal Governor of the colony of Virginia, Dunmore needed a place for he and his entourage of Loyalists aboard some 100 vessels to make land and regroup before continuing his battle to reclaim Virginia for the Crown. He chose Gwynn’s Island, barely 200 yards off the mainland near present-day Hudgins, Virginia, as his haven. Thanks to artillery fire from Fort Cricket Hill by General Lewis’ men, this would mark the exodus of Lord Dunmore from Virginia for good.

"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 Totero Town Symposium

Saturday February 28, 11am-4pm

Discover the ways the environment impacted local Indigenous life in the first ever Totero Town Symposium, organized by the Headwaters Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Virginia!

Hear from four distinguished lecturers about topics such as the local deer skin trade, the 1671 Batts and Fallam expedition through Salem, the practical applications of fish weirs, and more. A full schedule for lecture times, topics, and speakers will be available soon. Keep an eye out for more exciting details to come!

More Events Here!

Exhibit poster for Roanoke Valley history.

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.

Not Without Laughter Teen Homeschool Lit Course 2025-2026 Square Flyer

Teen Homeschool Literary Course

February 18, 4pm

A lot of great works of literature are best understood in their historic contexts. This once-a-month class will delve into historic contexts and help students develop skills to properly analyze historic works of literature.

RSVP Required! Be sure to RSVP early to get the assignment information. Contact Garrett@SalemMuseum.org or 540-389-6760.

February 18, on Zoom- Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes
Read the debut novel of a Harlem Renaissance leader. The tale of a boy in rural Kansas during the era of Jim Crow.

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.