Salem Museum in Salem, Virginia

Preserving 300+ years of history, art, and sports in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

Mills Kelly Talk September 2026 Square Flyer

A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail

Thursday September 10, 7pm

Zoom Link HERE

Professor Mills Kelly will discuss his latest book, “A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail.” Rather than offer a narrative from the top-down, Kelly’s book aims to offer a “boots-up” perspective of the Trail’s long, people-oriented history. Working with Trail shelter registers, hiker accounts submitted to Trail clubs, and newspaper and magazine stories about the experiences of casual hikers, Kelly reveals what it was like to hike the Trail from the late 1920s through the early 2020s by answering questions such as: What did hikers eat? What kind of gear did they carry? What was their relationship to the natural world they found along the Trail? What was it like to hike as a woman, as a person of color, or as someone with a disability? And how did all those things change over the first 100 years of the Trail’s history? At the conclusion of his talk, copies of the book will be available for purchase and/or signing. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Salem Museum.

Kelly is an emeritus professor of history at George Mason University and is also the author of “Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail,” the story of the single largest reroute (300 miles) of the Trail in its history. In addition to being an author and popular speaker about the Trail’s history, Mills is the archivist of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, a member of the board of the Appalachian Trail Museum, and the host of the popular podcast “The Green Tunnel.”

Wildlife and Landscape Management in Precontact Virginia

Archeological Society of Virginia Headwaters Chapter Speaker, September 8 at 7:00pm

Previous research on climate change and sustainability practices in the Virginia piedmont suggests that Native American people throughout the Roanoke River drainage participated in variable sustainability practices related to the hunting of white-tailed deer and the success of maize. These strategies were heavily influenced by the climate history of the region, evidenced through historic drought data. Building on the data from that project, a similar undertaking was conducted on sites in the Potomac River drainage to investigate sustainability and landscape management in another significant river drainage of the state. This presentation will cover the new results and associated interpretation for Potomac River history and relate those to the Roanoke River data. Implications of the data tie deer management, or lack thereof, to the emergence of the precolonial deerskin trade and the wildly different climate of the Potomac River valley.

Recently hired as DHR’s Western Regional Preservation Office’s Archaeologist, John Henshaw is an ABD Doctoral Candidate in Anthropology, College of William and Mary after receiving a BA and MA from the University of Virginia. Of interest in ASV terms, he received the Sandra Speiden Award for studies in Native American culture. John’s recent work has focused on climate and exchange systems on the Potomac River drainages with the interplay of shell beads and deerskins. Using the data generated by the Palmer Drought Index, he has developed a model for the interplay of climate and cultural subsistence systems and is currently expanding that model into Virginia’s southern Piedmont along the Roanoke River.

Ghost Walk 2026

October 1-3, 6pm-8pm. TICKETS GO ON SALE SEPTEMBER 1

East Hill Cemetery comes alive after dark just once a year! The Salem Museum once again welcomes the living for the annual Ghost Walk. Tour the historic graveyard and meet notable characters from Salem’s past on walking tours that are family-friendly, fun, and informative, but not scary. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students of any age, and free for children ages three and younger.

More Events Here!

Andrew Lewis: Salem's Revolutionary Champion

On Display in the Feature Gallery

Visit us this summer to see the official City of Salem VA250 exhibit about Andrew Lewis, William Fleming, and our local ties to the American Revolution!

This exhibit chronicles the local figures' lives and Lewis' lynchpin status in the course of the American Revolution. Visitors can try on garments, handle tools, and interact with materials resembling those of Revolutionary era Virginia.

On The Map: History of Virginia Along Bikecentennial Route 76 Explored Through Maps

On Display Now on the Ground Floor

History happens everywhere. This poster exhibit connects lesser-known
local history to historic maps of the state of Virginia. The unifying theme
of the selected local history is transportation as all stories take place on
or near Bicycle Route 76. Created 1976 to celebrate the Bicentennial of
the United States, Route 76 spans the continental United States –
guiding cyclists from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon. This exhibit
focuses on the route in Virginia. It is highlighted in red with the location
of where the story happened being marked by a bicycle on all maps.

This exhibit is affiliated with the larger Bike76 VA Project. To learn more, visit
https://bike76-va.vt.domains/home/

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HOURS OF OPERATION

Open Tuesdays — Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm.

Closed on July 4; Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas; New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the day after New Years.

If the City of Salem Schools are closed for inclement weather, the Museum does not open.

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

Located next to Longwood Park in Downtown Salem
801 East Main Street
Salem, Virginia 24153

From I-81, take exit 140 and head toward Salem on Thompson Memorial Blvd. At Main Street (US 460), turn left. Go .3 mile; the Salem Museum is located at the top of the hill on the left. Our entrance is across from the Berglund Ford service entrance. Look for the “OAKEY FIELD” sign. There is plenty of free, on-site parking.

ADMISSION IS FREE.
DONATIONS ARE
APPRECIATED!

Admission is FREE for all self-guided visitors.

Guided tours are $10 per adult age 15+, and $5 for children. For school groups and educational groups, students are $3 and chaperones are free. Group visits are available when booked at least two weeks in advance.