Town of the Week

Salem, Virginia
September 2, 2000
(rebroadcast from July 20, 1996)

Head over to Salem, Virginia; just listen in.

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General Andrew Lewis, the hero of the Battle of Point Pleasant, is credited with being the founder of today's Virginia town. In the early 1800s he acquired a 600-acre estate in the Roanoke Valley, which contained most of the area of Salem's city limits. Salem's name was either derived from "Shalom" meaning peace, or came from an early settler for his home town in New Jersey.

This town of 25,000 people is a contract of quaint, historic culture and thriving modern industry. Many of its charming Victorian homes are on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1847, Roanoke College came to town, loaded in a single wagon, transplanted from a nearby location. The private liberal arts school is a hub for city activities, as is the Salem Civic Center. The town has a class A professional baseball team, the Buccaneers, a Pittsburgh Pirates farm team; and it has a large football stadium for the high school Spartans.

One of the most popular festivals in the Roanoke Valley is Old Salem Days, held each September, with one of the largest antique car shows on the east coast, as well as an arts and crafts show. The Salem Farmers' Festival is a favorite summer event, with hog, cow, and rooster calling, and judging of the heaviest tomato and longest cucumber. It's the seat of Roanoke County, and our Town of the Week, Salem, Virginia.