Roanoke’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Roanoke. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The current site of Roanoke lies near the intersection of the Great Wagon Road and the Carolina Road, two branches of a network of early colonial roads that developed from Native American trails in the Appalachian region. While the name Roanoke is said to have originated from a Native American word for shell beads used as currency, that word was first used 300 miles (480 km) away, where the Roanoke River empties into the Atlantic Ocean near Roanoke Island. When Europeans arrived, the Roanoke Valley itself was home to members of the Tutelo tribe, a Siouan-speaking people who were gradually pushed out of the area by advancing European settlers.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Roanoke’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Roanoke’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewSeal of, 1884: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Roanoke, decade by decade
1990s
65 historic places in Roanoke
Roanoke has 65 listings on the National Register, and they protect 3,948 historic buildings, because Southwest Historic District (Boundary Increase) alone counts 1,547.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 2002Roanoke Downtown Historic District
Listed 2002Grandin Road Commercial Historic District
Listed 2003Virginian Railway Passenger Station
Listed 2003Burrell Memorial Hospital
Listed 2004Boxley-Sprinkle House
Listed 2004Henry Street Historic District
Listed 2006Virginia Can Company-S.H. Heironimus Warehouse
Listed 2006Roanoke ApartmentsListed 2007Roanoke Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed 2007Salem Avenue-Roanoke Automotive Commercial Historic DistrictListed 2008Salem Avenue-Roanoke Automotive Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed 2008Lawson, H.L., & Son WarehouseListed 1973Lone OaksListed 1973Fire Station No. 1Listed 1973St. Andrew's Roman Catholic ChurchListed 1974Buena VistaListed 1974MontereyListed 1975Belle AireListed 1980Crystal Spring Steam Pumping StationListed 1980Mountain ViewListed 1982First National BankListed 1982Harrison SchoolListed 1983Roanoke Warehouse Historic DistrictListed 1983Roanoke City Market Historic DistrictListed 1983Colonial National BankListed 1984Boxley BuildingListed 1991Campbell Avenue ComplexListed 1991Roanoke City Firehouse No. 6Listed 1991Henry, Patrick, HotelListed 1991St. John's Episcopal ChurchListed 1991HuntingdonListed 1994Mount Moriah Baptist Church And CemeteryListed 1996Hotel RoanokeListed 1996The Coffee PotListed 1996Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public LibraryListed 1999Norfolk and Western Railway Company Historic DistrictListed 1999Roanoke StarListed 2002Black Horse Tavern-Bellvue Hotel and OfficeListed 2002Roanoke City Market Historic District (Boundary Increase)Listed 2005Gainsboro Historic DistrictListed 2010Apartment Building on Windsor Avenue and Brunswick St.Listed 2011Belmont Methodist-Episcopal ChurchListed 2011City of Roanoke Fire Station No. 5Listed 2012Wasena Historic DistrictListed 2012Roanoke Veterans Administration Hospital Historic DistrictListed 2012Carlin's Amoco StationListed 2012Norfolk & Western Railway Freight StationListed 2012Tayloe Rogers HouseListed 2013Melrose-Rugby Historic DistrictListed 2013Riverland Historic DistrictListed 2013Roanoke Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)Listed 2013Roanoke River and Railroad Historic DistrictListed 2014Salem Avenue-Roanoke Automotive Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase II)Listed 2016Roanoke City Health CenterListed 2018Villa HeightsListed 2019Belmont Historic DistrictListed 2019American Viscose Plant Historic DistrictListed 2020Salvation Army CitadelListed 2020Southwest Historic District (Boundary Increase)Listed 2022English GardensListed 2023Colony House Motor LodgeListed 2024Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 LocomotiveListed 2024Norwich Historic DistrictListed 2025Norfolk & Western Class A No. 1218 LocomotiveListed 2025Lucy Addison High SchoolThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Seal of (1884) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.