The Salem Museum will debut two permanent exhibits exploring the history of Black communities in Salem and the Roanoke Valley during “1619 to Water Street: A Weekend of Black History at the Salem Museum” on Saturday, Aug. 22.
The event will feature the exhibits, two lectures and the 23/54 Community Quilt. All exhibits and events are free to the public.
“Slavery in Salem and the Roanoke Valley” examines the role slavery played in the region from its introduction during the Colonial era through emancipation in 1865. Using dozens of local primary sources and secondary research, the exhibit explores what enslavement looked like in the Roanoke Valley.
Visitors also will be able to preview Salem’s newest Civil War Trails marker, “We Will Prove Ourselves Men: The U.S. Colored Troops of East Hill North.” The marker honors enslaved people from Salem who fought for their freedom with the Union Army. It is scheduled to officially premiere in November.
The second exhibit, “Into the Sunlight of Freedom: Water Street and the Black Communities of Salem,” explores the challenges and accomplishments of Salem’s Black communities during the century following emancipation. It highlights businesses, houses of worship, schools and organizations that helped establish a thriving African American community in Salem.
At 11 a.m., educator and local historian Dr. Marylen Harmon will present “Remembering Water Street,” a lecture about Salem’s first major post-emancipation Black community.
Renamed South Broad Street in 1973, Water Street was the center of a vibrant Black community during the 20th century. Harmon will discuss how residents challenged the limitations imposed by segregation and how institutions such as the Carver School helped establish a foundation for the community’s future.
Harmon is a retired educator with more than 30 years of experience. A member of the Carver School’s graduating class of 1966, she is a longtime community historian and activist.
Her parents, Chauncey D. Harmon Sr. and Lucy Harmon, were taught at the Tuskegee Institute by George Washington Carver and later became educators at the Salem-area school that bears his name.
At 2 p.m., educator Dr. Michael “Mickey” Hickman will present “Slavery in Appalachia Virginia,” examining the role of slavery in shaping the South and Appalachia.
Drawing on extensive research, Hickman will examine slavery as it existed in western Virginia and Appalachia, beyond the history of slavery more commonly associated with Virginia’s Tidewater region.
Hickman is a retired educator who spent 42 years with Pulaski County Public Schools as a classroom teacher, athletic coach and administrator. He also worked as a national consultant presenting instructional strategies to teachers in 42 states.
Hickman currently serves as board president for the Calfee Community and Cultural Center 501(c)(3) project. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the New River Carilion Hospital in Radford and was recently appointed to the Governor’s African American Advisory Board.
The 23/54 Community Quilt also will be on display. The quilt honors the 23 Pulaski County parents who in 1947 joined Dr. Percy Corbin in a lawsuit against the Pulaski County School Board seeking better educational facilities for 54 Black children.
Each square represents one of the families involved in the case. Descendants selected artifacts that told their families’ stories and incorporated them into the quilt squares, creating a visual and material archive of their legacy.
The weekend is sponsored by the Robertson Endowment for Exhibits and Events.
The event also is part of Virginia’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission is encouraging localities to commemorate the Revolution and its legacy through events and activities showcasing local history.
The Salem Museum’s weekend also recognizes African Landing Day on Aug. 22, commemorating the first landing of Africans in English North America in 1619.
The Salem Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located in the historic 1845 Williams-Brown House at 801 E. Main St. Admission and parking are free, although donations are accepted.
The entrance is located at the Oakey Field Complex sign across Main Street from the Berglund Ford service entrance. For more information, call 540-389-6760 or visit SalemMuseum.org.
