The Vagabonds
Heads turned in August 1918 when Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone arrived unexpectedly for lunch at Hotel Roanoke.
Strange Days of Roanoke: Reveille in South Roanoke
In the early 1930s, a military academy for boys in South Roanoke attracted students from across the United States.
The Game Changer
In 1961, an NFL exhibition game in Roanoke changed the city and professional football.
Strange Days of Roanoke: A Boy Named Mark
In 1960, Mark was a first-grader at Crystal Spring Elementary School. In 1980, he became an assassin.
Strange Days of Roanoke: The Man Who Launched a Movement
At only 9 years old, Julian Stanley Wise watched two men drown in the Roanoke River, a scene he never forgot.
Strange Days of Roanoke: NASCAR at Starkey
In the 1950s and ‘60s, stock car engines roared at Starkey Speedway.
Strange Days of Roanoke: The Women of Hill Crest Hall
In the 1920s and ’30s, a female dormitory at Viscose was the center of life for hundreds of workers.
Strange Days of Roanoke: Catawba and the White Death
For six decades, the Catawba Sanatorium treated patients ravaged by tuberculosis.
Strange Days of Roanoke: Roanoke’s Miracle Worker
Dr. E. G. Gill was a tireless humanitarian who put Roanoke at the epicenter of sight preservation.
Strange Days of Roanoke: The Liberty Bell in Roanoke
In 1895, America’s sacred relic went on a national tour to reconcile the nation.