Whether it is 2023 or 1952, people always love a good parade! This photo is from 1952, Salem’s Sesquicentennial year. Salemites lined the streets to celebrate the town’s 150th Anniversary, ready to celebrate the important year. If you have photos from the 1950s, the Salem Museum has an upcoming opportunity for you to share them.
Noted local historian Nelson Harris is looking for pictures for his upcoming book, “The History of the Roanoke Valley, 1950-1959.” He will be at the Salem Museum on Saturday, March 4 from 2-3:30 p.m. to scan photos of businesses, street scenes, churches, sports, schools medicine, or public events. Please stop by with your good quality photographs from the 1950s!
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 holds degrees from Radford University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a past president of the Historical Society of Western Virginia and is the author of twelve books, including “Downtown Roanoke, Roanoke Valley: Then and Now,” “A History of Back Creek,” “Aviation in Roanoke” and “Hidden History of Roanoke.”