Salem Museum

09/01/2026

Ghost Walk tickets are now available!!!

Follow this link to purchase them online: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ghost-walk-east-hill-cemetery-2026-tickets-1999175964125?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

East Hill Cemetery comes alive after dark just once a year! The Salem Museum once again welcomes the living for its 28th annual Ghost Walk on October 1-3, 2026. 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.

“Ghosts” will share captivating tales of fascinating figures from various periods of Salem’s rich history, spanning over 200 years. Each character has made an impact, whether big or small, and some stories are simply delightful. Guests will also discover surprising narratives about some of the region’s most historic locations - places they may encounter in their daily lives.

Tours leave the Museum every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Advanced tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students of any age, and free for children ages three and younger.

All tickets are on sale now at the Salem Museum or online through SalemMuseum.org. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended to reserve your preferred tour time. Groups must register in advance. The Ghost Walk is expected to sell out once again this year.

Good walking shoes and a flashlight are recommended for participants of the Ghost Walk, as the tour covers just over half a mile. The route, reflecting the name “East Hill,” includes some gentle inclines and declines, though it is not strenuous and features several stops along the way. In the event of rain, the tour will be relocated indoors to the Salem Museum.

All proceeds from the Ghost Walk benefit the Salem Museum and its educational programs. For more information, visit SalemMuseum.org or call 540-389-6760.

08/31/2026

INCOMING - ticket sales for our 28th annual Ghost Walk are almost here! Read below for our suggestions on how to make the most of your Ghost Walk experience. Keep an eye out for a full announcement at the ticket launch time tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1, at noon:

Tip One: Consider bringing the whole family, as our tours through East Hill Cemetery are family-friendly, fun, and informative, but never spooky or scary! Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended to reserve your preferred tour time, especially as the Ghost Walk is expected to sell out once again this year. Groups must register in advance.

Tip Two: Good walking shoes and a flashlight are recommended for participants of the Ghost Walk, as the tour covers just over half a mile!

Tip Three: The route, reflecting the name “East Hill,” includes some gentle inclines and declines, though it is not strenuous and features several stops along the way. In the event of rain, the tour will be relocated indoors to the Salem Museum.

Tip Four: Tours leave the Museum every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. We recommend arriving about 15 minutes prior to your tour time. Prior to your tour, explore our latest Featured Gallery exhibit, "Andrew Lewis: Salem's Revolutionary Champion"

Tip Five: All proceeds from the Ghost Walk benefit the Salem Museum and its educational programs - as one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, your support goes a long way in helping us preserve and celebrate the rich history, art, and culture of Salem and Roanoke County!

08/30/2026

Heads up! Just two more days until Ghost Walk 2026 tickets are available for purchase at the Salem Museum or online through SalemMuseum.org.

Check out tomorrow's Facebook post for tips, tricks, and suggestions on how to make the most of your tour time!

East Hill Cemetery comes alive after dark just once a year! The Salem Museum once again welcomes the living for its 28th annual Ghost Walk on October 1-3, 2026. 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.

“Ghosts” will share captivating tales of fascinating characters from various periods of Salem’s rich history, spanning over 200 years. Each character has made an impact, whether big or small, and some stories are simply delightful. Guests will also discover surprising narratives about some of the region’s most historic locations - places they may encounter in their daily lives.

Tours leave the Museum every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Advanced tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students of any age, and free for children ages three and younger.

All tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 1 at noon at the Salem Museum or online through SalemMuseum.org. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended to reserve your preferred tour time. Groups must register in advance. The Ghost Walk is expected to sell out once again this year.

All proceeds from the Ghost Walk benefit the Salem Museum and its educational programs. For more information, visit SalemMuseum.org or call 540-389-6760 once ticket sales begin!

08/29/2026

The countdown is ON!!!

On Tuesday, September 1, tickets for our 28th annual Ghost Walk will go on sale. Be on the lookout for details in our upcoming countdown posts!

08/25/2026

Join us with the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce for the fall snack drive!

Drop off individually wrapped snacks at the Salem Museum now through September 25 to help support Salem and Roanoke County students!

08/21/2026

Join us this weekend for 1619 to Water Street: A Weekend of Black History at the Salem Museum!

Discover the story of slavery in the Roanoke Valley and explore the history of local African American communities post-Civil War as the Museum premieres two new exhibits. Then hear lectures on Black history in Salem and across Appalachia. All exhibits and events are free and open to the public.

At 11 a.m. educator and local historian Dr. Marylen Harmon will discuss the history of Water Street, Salem’s first major post-Emancipation Black community, in her talk “Remembering Water Street.” Her talk will be live-streamed on Zoom, link at SalemMuseum.org

At 2 p.m. educator Dr. Michael “Mickey” Hickman will inspect the role of slavery in shaping the South, and specifically Appalachia, with his talk “Slavery in Appalachia Virginia.” Both talks will be recorded and published on the Salem Museum website and YouTube Channel

Two new permanent exhibits will be unveiled: “Slavery in Salem and the Roanoke Valley” examines the role slavery played in the surrounding community, from its introduction during the Colonial era through Emancipation in 1865. “Into the Sunlight of Freedom: Water Street and the Black Communities of Salem” will uncover the many challenges and triumphs of Salem’s Black communities in the century following Emancipation.

Visitors can preview Salem’s newest Civil War Trails marker, “We Will Prove Ourselves Men: The U.S. Colored Troops of East Hill North” remembering the local enslaved of Salem who fought for their freedom with the Union Army, before it premieres officially in November.

Also on display will be the 23/54 Community Quilt, a large quilt symbolically honoring the 23 Pulaski County parents who in 1947 joined Dr. Percy Corbin in a lawsuit against the Pulaski County School Board for better educational facilities on behalf of 54 Black children. Each square represents one of the families involved in the case. Descendants selected artifacts that told their family’s story, weaving them into the design of their quilt squares as a visual and material archive of their legacy.

“Water Street Weekend” is sponsored by the Robertson Endowment for Exhibits and Events.

08/07/2026

Join us Thursday for our next speaker series talk, with a twist!

The Salem Museum will present a brief lecture on the life of Hollywood actor and Salemite John Payne, followed by a screening of his 1952 film noir “Kansas City Confidential,” on Thursday, August 13, 2026, from 7 to 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. There will be light refreshments available during the screening.

Hunter Haskins, assistant director of the Salem Museum, will deliver a biographical talk on Payne, who was born and raised in Roanoke County. Payne attended Roanoke College and worked as a small-time actor before breaking into the motion picture industry in the mid-1930s. He appeared in several successful films, especially for 20th Century Fox in major musicals alongside stars such as comedian Milton Berle, Olympic skater Sonja Henie, and bandleader Glenn Miller. His most famous role came after serving in World War II, playing attorney Fred Gailey, lawyer and defender of Kris Kringle, in the 1946 Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street.” Payne later turned to selling real estate to the movie stars as Hollywood grew in the 1960s and ’70s, though frequently returning to the Roanoke Valley on trips before his death in 1989.

After the talk, the Museum will screen “Kansas City Confidential,” a 1952 film noir classic starring Payne. In the film, Payne’s character is framed for an armored car robbery gone wrong and must travel to Mexico to unmask the real culprits and clear his name. Also starring Coleen Gray and rising film stars Jack Elam and Lee Van Cleef, the film is now in the public domain. The picture retains a following among fans of the film noir genre, whose directors and screenwriters emphasized shadows and shady characters to evoke a postwar feeling of cynical realism.

08/05/2026

The Salem Museum is happy to announce the return of various homeschool offerings to our community! Classes begin next week!

Interested in the great works of Shakespeare? Sign up for our new Teen Homeschool Shakespeare Course, enrolling students 13+

Curious about the history of Salem and Roanoke County? Sign up for the original Homeschool Days classes

Want to read great works, then enjoy a great movie or TV adaptation of it? Check out our Teen Literature Homeschool Course, now beginning its second year, enrolling students 13+

More details available at our website, SalemMuseum.org/Homeschool

Contact us to RSVP today! We hope to see your family soon!

07/22/2026

07/21/2026

Mark your calendar! 📅

We’re celebrating the opening of the Salem Museum & Historical Society’s newest exhibit, “Andrew Lewis: Salem’s Revolutionary Champion,” with an official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

Join us for this free community celebration and help us recognize an exciting milestone for one of Salem’s treasured cultural institutions.

📍 Salem Museum & Historical Society
801 East Main Street, Salem
📅 Wednesday, July 22, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM

Who are you bringing with you?