Salem and Roanoke County in Vintage Postcards

By Nelson Harris

In 1800, James Simpson, a Botetourt County landowner, purchased 31 acres of land for $100 and dedicated half of the purchase to plotting a new town. The Town of Salem was officially established when Simpson recorded his ownership at Fincastle Courthouse in October 1802, and it later became the government seat when Roanoke County was carved from Botetourt County in 1838. Today, Salem is an independent city, boasting a rich tradition of educational, commercial, and residential success. Roanoke County, like Salem, has emerged from its agrarian past to become a suburban county that embraces the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as the strength and success of corporate centers and residential communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Aug 17, 2005
• ISBN: 9781439629901

Nelson Harris

Local historian Nelson Harris is a native and former mayor of Roanoke. He has been the pastor of Heights Community Church since 1999 and is an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Western Community College. He is a past president of the Historical Society of Western Virginia, a columnist for the Roanoker magazine, and has been recognized by the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation for his research and advocacy of regional history. He is the author of fourteen books, including Downtown Roanoke, A History of Back Creek, Aviation in Roanoke and Hidden History of Roanoke.

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endeavors.

INTRODUCTION

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Roanoke Valley embraces a rich history of commerce and culture while remaining sensitive to its natural surroundings. This tender balance produces a way of life long cherished by the valley’s citizens, whose pace and spirit reflect an appreciation for the unique setting they call home.

The first residents of the Roanoke Valley arrived around 8000 B.C. Archeological evidence, uncovered at various points over time, has demonstrated the presence of several tribes of American Indians up through the middle of the 18th century. In fact, the name Roanoke comes from a Native American word for shell money. Certainly the Blue Ridge Mountains, the river and creeks, and the fertile plateaus served these valley ancestors well.

The first European visitors to the area were most likely two traders, Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam. In 1671, Batts and Fallam recorded a three-day visit in a journal they kept, during which they called upon the Tutelo Indians, in the probable vicinity of present-day Salem. It would be another 100 years before a European settlement, Fort Lewis, appeared. Around 1755, Virginia established Fort Lewis west of Salem to offer protection to frontier settlers during their tense relations with American Indian tribes in the area, including the Powhatan and the Monolan, among others. Settlers continued to move into the valley during the latter half of the 18th century.

Salem got its start when a landowner by the name of James Simpson added to his holdings with a 31-acre purchase in 1800. With that acquisition, Simpson set out to establish a town, planning a few simple roads and 40 residential lots. Within a few years, most of the lots had been purchased, and the first wood-frame houses were being built. For reasons that have escaped historians, Simpson chose to name the new community Salem in documents at Fincastle, Botetourt County, in 1802. The town grew under the guidance of a second developer, John Brugh, who plotted additional lots that gave the town a post office, taverns, shops, and a stop for stagecoaches. Salem was on its way. It eventually became, in fact, a stopover for Pres. Andrew Jackson on his trips between Washington and Tennessee. By 1820, Salem had a population of 290.

As Salem grew, so too did the Roanoke Valley with other towns and settlements. In 1828, the citizens of Franklin, Botetourt, and Montgomery Counties began petitioning the Virginia Legislature for the establishment of a new county. In 1838, their efforts proved fruitful; the Commonwealth approved the division of land from Botetourt County, thereby creating Roanoke County. Newly appointed county justices chose Salem as the county seat.

In the two centuries that have passed since the formation of Roanoke County, both the county and Salem have grown and developed in significant ways. For the past 100 of those years, the picture postcard has chronicled some of those changes. The postcard captured new buildings, special events, industry, and public spaces in an effort to promote the ideals and achievements of its many subjects. Salem and Roanoke County captures that visual history in over 200 cards. Tangible remainders of the vision, service, and commitment rendered by so many over the years to make the Roanoke Valley what it is today include Lakeside’s two-million-gallon pool, Catawba Sanatorium, Cavern Hill Inn, Academy School, the Baptist and Lutheran Orphanages, Roanoke College, Hollins University, and Salem’s Main Street. These cards remind us not only of a shared history, but of a common spirit that continues to move the valley forward.

This book concludes with a chapter of previously unpublished vintage postcards that depict structures and scenes in Roanoke City. They are included here to both compliment this volume and to supplement an earlier volume on Roanoke City postcards.

Salem and Roanoke County is, as with all previous volumes, a labor of love produced with great affection for this beautiful valley I am blessed to call home.

—Nelson Harris

Roanoke, Virginia

One

SALEM

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF SALEM, 1910. This century-old view of Salem shows the development of the town since its inception in 1802, when James Simpson created 40 residential lots on 16 acres. The lots fronted one main road, which Simpson named Roanoke Street. The lots were one of two sizes: rectangular (66 by 266 feet) or square (132 feet). The cross