The Real Story of Roanoke, Virginia – History, Railroads, Highways & Renewal

The Real Story of Roanoke, Virginia – History, Railroads, Highways & Renewal

By a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

Dear Henry,

With two trips to Washington, D.C. (yes, two!) and a visit back to my childhood city, I haven’t had the chance to tell you properly about my new hometown: Roanoke, Virginia.

First things first, Roanoke, Virginia, is not the location of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The famous “CROATOAN” mystery unfolded roughly 300 miles southeast, on an island in North Carolina. In fact, our Roanoke didn’t even become Roanoke until 1882.

Nestled in the valley between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, the city has always been a crossroads. Long before colonists arrived, Indigenous peoples used the route as part of a vast trail network known as the Great War Path, the Seneca Trail, or simply the Indian Trail. Today, it’s better known as U.S. Route 11, still running the length of the valley. The region’s mineral-rich foothills, natural springs, and narrow mountain passes made it an ideal place to rest, hunt, and travel.

Euro-American exploration didn’t reach the area until 1726, more than a century after Jamestown. The first recorded white men to arrive were Thomas Marlin, a peddler, and John Salling, a weaver. Their journeys set the tone for early colonial Roanoke: Marlin escaped to tell others of the valley’s riches. At the same time, Salling was captured and taken all the way to the Gulf of Mexico before being ransomed and returning home.

"The freedom to make and remake our cities and ourselves is, I want to argue, one of the most precious yet neglected of our human rights.
- David Harvey

Despite glowing reports, settlement remained sparse. A small trading post, stagecoach stop, and a scattering of farms existed until the village of Big Lick (named for the numerous salt licks created by mineral springs) was founded in 1838.

Everything changed with the railroad.

The Norfolk and Western lines began laying track through Big Lick in 1852. Other railroads soon joined, and the town’s strategic location became impossible to ignore, right up until the Civil War, when Union forces repeatedly targeted the area’s rails and supply lines. Though the railroad survived, the Big Lick depot did not.

After Reconstruction, the bankrupt railroads merged into the newly formed Norfolk and Western Railway, and the depot was relocated a mile away. Big Lick was incorporated as a town in 1874; the original settlement, known as “Old Lick,” became a growing village by 1882, which was then renamed Roanoke. Two years later, it became a city.

"For those who are lost, there will always be cities that feel like home."
-Simon Van Booty

The early 20th century brought enormous prosperity. The Norfolk and Western Railway was headquartered here, the American Viscose Plant became one of the world’s largest rayon producers, and Roanoke emerged as a central industrial hub with the only commercial airport for 100 miles. In 1949, the iconic Mill Mountain Star was installed, symbolizing a bright future.

And then came the downturn.

By the 1950s, diesel engines had replaced steam, resulting in massive layoffs. Rayon lost ground to nylon. The American Viscose Plant closed. And in 1955–56, city leadership embraced Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway Act in a deeply Jim Crow way, bulldozing more than 1,600 homes, churches, and businesses in Roanoke’s historic Black neighborhood of Gainsboro to make way for I-581.

The scars remain. But so does the resilience.

Beginning in 1983, Roanoke started to reinvent itself. Downtown revitalization, the reopening of Hotel Roanoke in partnership with Virginia Tech, the expansion of the rail heritage sites, and embracing the city’s “crossroads” identity helped shape a new path forward. Today, Roanoke is a logistics hub, the midpoint between New York and Atlanta, and home to more than 400 miles of hiking and biking trails. It’s become a paradise for Appalachian Trail hikers, and, conveniently, a perfect training ground for my dream of walking the Camino de Santiago.

"Let us listen to the better angels of our nature, ignite the light to rid the darkness, and make gentle life for all citizens, especially our children, in our All-American city.
-Mayor Sherman P. Lea Sr. 

And then there are the festivals.

In an effort to stitch together a historically fractured city, Roanoke hosts celebrations constantly. Nearly every weekend brings another parade, market, concert, or block party. So far, my favorites have been Cruise Williamson (where the whole city drives their coolest cars up and down Williamson Road) and the annual Floatilla, where everyone drifts down the Roanoke River in inner tubes. Fish, Mini-me #3, and I even made the local news for that one!

Roanoke is still a little rough around the edges, still healing, still transforming, but it’s full of heart. And I’m grateful it’s our new home.

xoxo,
a.d. elliott

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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