Events and Activities
Membership Reception and Annual Meeting
Thursday November 12, Reception at 5pm, Meeting at 6:30pm
Members of all levels are welcomed to the Salem Museum to celebrate another successful year! Enjoy refreshments and get to meet other members, then hear the annual report and vote on new officers.
The purpose of this meeting is to elect Officers and Directors for the upcoming year. Only members may vote. Check your email and membership post card for list of nominees.
The Annual Meeting will be followed immediately by the "Remembering Audie Murphy" Panel.
"Searching for Audie Murphy" Panel
Thursday November 12, 7:00pm
On Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 7 p.m. following the Salem Museum’s Annual Member Reception, the Museum will host a “Searching for Audie Murphy” panel discussion of Murphy’s life and career, as well as honor those first responders to the crash site 55 years ago this year. Among the panelists are Captain Lee Anthony, US Navy (retired), and Colonel Charles Glass, US Air Force (retired), who will share their recollections about the crash and the recovery efforts made by the Civil Air Patrol and others on those dark days in Roanoke Valley history.
To make these events possible, the Salem Museum is partnering with the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, Roanoke College and the College’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), the Fort Lewis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the Virginia Department of Forestry, and the Roanoke Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.
Civil War Trails Marker Unveiling and Lecture
November 14, Unveiling at 2:00pm and Lecture at 2:30pm
The Salem Museum will unveil a Civil War Trails marker honoring three local Black Union Army veterans at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in East Hill North Cemetery, next to the Museum.
The marker, titled “We Will Prove Ourselves Men,” commemorates Larkin Burwell, William Keaton, and Ellis Kile, three Union Army veterans buried in the historically Black cemetery. They served in United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments in different theaters during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Burwell and Kile were enslaved in the area before escaping, while Keaton was born free in Philadelphia. All three joined Union forces in 1864, eventually became friends, and settled in Salem before their deaths after the turn of the 20th century.
Salem Museum assistant director Hunter Haskins will deliver the lecture, also titled “We Will Prove Ourselves Men,” offering additional details about the veterans’ lives. Following the talk, attendees are invited to visit the Museum’s two newest Black history exhibits.
The event is sponsored by Northwest ACE Hardware, which is providing three new American flags for the veterans’ graves.
Persiflage Writers Holiday Book Sale
November 28, 1:00-3:00pm
The Persiflage/Regional Writers' Group will return to the Salem Museum this November to participate in another mass book sale of their author's works! The sale will feature nearly 20 writers from around the community. The group's first anthology, Appalachian Holidays, will be available for purchase and/or signing. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Salem Museum.
Mark Your Calendar
Monthly Speaker Series
Second Thursday of each month, 7pm. January and February on Zoom. November= The Life of Audie Murphey with Panel Discussion / January= Law and Order for Hire in Virginia with author Phillip Gibbs / March= Splintered Shadows: Recovering a French Resistante with Marilyn Moriarty
Headwaters Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia Monthly Meetings
Second Tuesday of November; 7pm. Free and open to the public. Enjoy monthly speakers on topics of local archeology.
Ask an Archeologist
Beginning in October. Visitors to the Salem Museum will be able to see archeologists at work on the Museum's collection. Stop by their workspace to see what they are working on and ask them questions about what they do!
Annual Member Reception
November 12, 5pm; Membership Meeting 6:30pm. All members are welcome to join us for refreshments and socializing prior to our November speaker. At 6:30, hear the annual report and vote on new Board members.
Civil War Trails Marker Unveiling
November 14, 2pm. See the unveiling of a brand new Civil War Trails marker in East Hill North Cemetery, the historic African American cemetery directly beside the Salem Museum. The marker will commemorate the Black Civil War veterans interred there who fought for the Union, some of whom escaped from slavery locally to do so. A special lecture will follow the marker unveiling, with more details to come in the following weeks.
Persiflage Book Sale
November 28, 1-3pm. The annual Persiflage/Writers Holiday Book Sale returns. The signing/sale will feature nearly 20 of the region’s best authors in a variety of genres. The book group’s anthology, “Appalachian Holiday,” will be on sale and many of the contributors will be on hand to sign their stories in the book. A portion of all proceeds will benefit the Salem Museum.
Gingerbread Festival 2026
December 5, 10am-2pm. The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce Festival returns to Longwood Park with the annual Gingerbread House Competition on display inside the Museum.
Wreaths Across America
December 19, 12pm. Join the Fort Lewis Chapter NSDAR to honor local veterans. A ceremony will take place, then community members are invited to help lay wreaths on graves in East Hill and East Hill North cemeteries.
Mahjong Fundraiser
January 24, 2-5pm. Come to the Salem Museum for an afternoon of mahjong! Proceeds benefit the Salem Museum's education programs and exhibits.
Peggy Shifflett Book Talk
Coming Soon. Local author Peggy Shifflett will discuss her upcoming book and have a book signing.
Workshops with artist Matilda Wentzel
Returns in 2027. Join us for arts workshops. RSVP Required. More information HERE
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Sun - Mon: Closed
Tue - Sat: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Sun - Mon: Closed
Tue - Sat: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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