The War Memorial Battle
In the 1940s, Roanoke was divided over how to honor its fallen soldiers.
Saunders vs Almond
An epic battle of wills between two Roanokers changed the course of Virginia’s history.
Sears Town
Roanoke was once home to the largest Sears store in the American South.
Roosevelt in Roanoke
President Roosevelt’s visit offered one of the most exciting events in our local history.
Strange Days of Roanoke: Shrine Hill
A grand plan by the Shriners in the 1920s would have made Raleigh Court a very different place!
Strange Days of Roanoke: Fore!
Brassies, mashies and gutties were a strange sight in Roanoke in 1896.
Roanoke’s Secret Library
In the 1940s the Gainsboro librarian was directed to rid the library of materials deemed subversive by white politicians. They thought she had, but they failed to look in the basement!
Strange Days of Roanoke: The Lindbergh Case
Months after his son was fatally kidnapped, famous aviator Charles Lindbergh received a threat against his second child….from Roanoke!
Strange Days of Roanoke: Murder on the Mountain
The brutal slaying of a high school senior in 1929 stunned the Bent Mountain community.
Strange Days of Roanoke: The Whistler on Grandin Road
John was considered strange and avoided by most when he lived in Roanoke, but he captured the international spotlight in 1994.