A Brief History of Salem, Virginia

The earliest history of Salem, Virginia, exists simply as archaeological evidence of Native Americans dating from 8000 B.C. until the middle of the 18th century. Although the first Indians only passed through the area in hunting parties, Native Americans began establishing semi-permanent villages shortly after discovering they could cultivate agricultural products such as corn and beans. Europeans first explored Salem 64 years after Jamestown. Through contact with Europeans the lives of Native Americans drastically changed. In addition to introducing the native population to new technology, colonists also brought with them diseases such as smallpox and influenza, which killed a significant number of Indians. Battles also were waged between settlers and Native Americans. Those skirmishes heightened during the last half of the 18th Century in which many Native Americans died. Those who survived joined other tribes to the north and south.

Fort Lewis, named in honor of General Andrew Lewis, was constructed to the west of what became Salem in 1752 in order to protect area settlers from the rampage of war. General Lewis distinguished himself in the French and Indian War, serving under George Washington in 1754 at Fort Necessity. Lewis later led Virginia troops against the Confederacy of Indian Nations in the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, which was a precursor to the Revolutionary War. During the Revolution, Lewis drove Lord Dunmore, the last British Governor, out of Virginia.

After the American Revolution, Salem began to make the transition from an insular settlement into an emerging town. In 1800 General Lewis's son William sold to his neighbor James Simpson a 31-acre tract of land for $100. During this time fewer than 25 families inhabited the area between the Roanoke River and Fort Lewis Mountain, but Simpson subdivided the land he bought from William Lewis into purchasable lots on each side of the area's main roadway. Through the sale of those lots Salem quickly grew into a prosperous community serving travelers as they headed west. Salem was founded in 1802, and the first charter was granted in 1806 to the Town of Salem.

Roanoke College

In 1847, the Virginia Collegiate Institute (later renamed Roanoke College) moved in a single wagon from Augusta County to Salem. The Lutheran school was drawn to the community due to its central location. It soon grew into a thriving academy for young men. In fact, Roanoke was one of the few colleges in the south, which operated throughout the Civil War with a home guard troop of students drilling weekly on the campus lawn.

While hardships and losses during the War Between the States were many, Salem managed to avoid complete devastation. Two Union attacks on the town resulted in the destruction of railroad lines, depots, barns, storehouses, horses and supplies - but relatively few deaths. When the war ended with Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the Salem Flying Artillery is recorded as having fired the final Confederate shot. Captain Abraham Hupp, a well-known manufacturer and owner of Hupps Phoenix Tin Establishment, organized the Salem Flying Artillery. He was an early supporter of the militia. Hupp organized the Salem Flying Artillery after John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry. By October 1862 Hupp returned to Salem too ill to command and later died of cancer.

Following the Civil War, Salem faced a period of great civic change. In addition to repairing streets and bridges after years of neglect, the town worked to establish free public schools for both white and black children. Electricity, a public waterworks and telephone lines were all advancements that came to Salem in the 1870s and 1880s and helped boost growth through the next decade. Hundreds of new buildings were erected in Salem during the first nine months of 1890 and the town's population swelled to 3,279 - almost doubling the 1880 census figure. Salem was predicted to be a huge, thriving city by the turn of the century, and marketed itself in pamphlets as the "Switzerland of the South." However, a devastating blizzard that winter damaged a half dozen factories and warehouses, causing a major setback in Salem's economy. While Salem never quite regained the 1890 "boom" growth rate, the town grew steadily through the new century.

During World War I Salem won national prominence as one of the few towns in the country in which every child owned at least one War Saving Stamp. Due to fuel shortages, churches suspended Sunday night services, but the mayor called on residents to pray silently at the sound of church and fire bells during a lights-off moment at nine o'clock each night. Fifteen Salem men were killed in World War I.

After the War, Salem adopted a council-manager form of government leading to an increased emphasis on the improvement of public works. Salem paved its streets with concrete in order to accommodate the increased automobile traffic through town. New businesses, including Salem's first federal post office, appeared on Main Street. Older stores were renovated and decked out with modernized fronts. Lakeside Amusement Park opened its "concrete lake" swimming pool on the east end of town and by 1923 added rides and a roller coaster. The park served as a major attraction for many years, closing in the late 80s.

The Great Depression, however, stunted growth. Economic setbacks due to the stock market crash were felt as early as 1930 when Salem workers lost paychecks during a two-week shutdown of the Norfolk and Western railroad shops. Welfare recipients in Roanoke County increased from 263 families to 1,407 families in a matter of months.

World War II years exacted a mixture of perseverance, zeal, and grief. Of the hundreds sent into battle, 43 Salem men died in that war. Those who returned found a different hometown than the one they left. Salem's new wave of economic and municipal development carried the town and its citizens into the coming years.

With the annexation of South Salem in 1953 and an eastern tract in 1960, Salem was the state's largest "town" with a population of 16,058. On December 31, 1967, the Town of Salem officially became Salem City with a population of 22,500.

In the 30 years since its birth, the City of Salem has grown considerably, even as it maintains an old-fashioned, small-town community feel. The opening of the Salem Civic Center in 1967, Lewis-Gale Hospital in 1972, Salem High School in 1977, Salem Stadium in 1985, the Salem Museum in 1992, Memorial Stadium in 1995, and the Salem Visitor's Center in 1997 - have contributed to making Salem a thriving, progressive city.