The Totero Town Symposium

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Hunter Haskins

Arrowhead with Green Background for Newsletter - 1

A Totero Town arrowhead on display at the Salem Museum

The Salem Museum will host the first-ever Totero Town Symposium, a free, daylong event exploring the Native American history of the Roanoke Valley. Organized by the Headwaters Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the Virginia Museum of Natural History, the symposium will take place from 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, February 28, 2026.

In 1671, European explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam recorded an encounter with Totero Town, a village believed to have been located in present-day Salem. The settlement was home to Eastern Siouan-speaking members of the Tutelo tribe. Centuries later, the remains of this village were rediscovered during archeological excavations at the site now occupied by the James I. Moyer Sports Complex.

More than thirty years after the original excavations, the Totero Town Symposium will reunite archeologists from that groundbreaking dig with leading Native American scholars and researchers. Together, they will share their latest insights, discoveries, and artifacts in this one-of-a-kind event

The program will begin with complimentary coffee at 10:30 AM, provided by Bean Bliss Coffee Bar, and an invitation for visitors to explore the Museum’s two Totero Town exhibits, made possible in part by support from Virginia Humanities.

The lecture schedule is as follows:

• 11:00 AM: Dr. Michael Barber, Longwood Institute of Archaeology, “Six Events that Changed the Trajectory of Native American Cultures in Virginia: A Punctuated Equilibria Approach”

• 12:00 PM: Dr. Elizabeth Moore, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, “Totera Town, Ethnozoology and the Deerskin Trade: Adaption and Agency in a Time of Change”

• 2:00 PM: Dean Ferguson, President of the Headwaters Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia, “Reconstructing the Monacan Village at Natural Bridge: The Archaeological Record’s Interface with Public Outreach”

• 3:00 PM: Drs. Hayden Bassett and Madeleine Gunter-Bassett, Virginia Museum of Natural History, “Riverine Settlement and Aquatic Resource Use in Late Woodland Virginia”

From 12:00 to 3:00 PM, guests can also enjoy lunch and refreshments from Dale’s Diner Express food truck, available on site.

This free event is proudly sponsored by Blue Ridge Beverage, Sherwood Memorial Park, Mac and Bob’s, The Lofts at Downtown Salem, Dale’s Diner Express, Bean Bliss Coffee Bar, and the Robertson Endowment for Exhibits and Events.