Timeline of Roanoke, Virginia

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Roanoke, Virginia, United States.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Prior to 20th century

• 1835 - Town of Gainesborough incorporated. ^[1]
• 1838 - Roanoke County created. ^[2]
• 1852 - Big Lick Depot built near Gainesborough; Virginia & Tennessee Railroad begins operating. ^[3]
• 1865 - April: Big Lick settlement sacked by Federal forces during American Civil War. ^[3]
• 1870 - Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad begins operating.
• 1874
  • Town of Big Lick incorporated. ^[4]
  • John Trout becomes mayor. ^[5]
• 1878 - Big Lick News begins publication. ^[5]
• 1882
  • Big Lick and Old Lick renamed "Roanoke". ^[4]
  • Roanoke Machine Works in business. ^[6]
  • Population: 5,276. ^[6]
• 1883 - YMCA branch founded. ^[7]
• 1884 - City of Roanoke incorporated. ^[8]
• 1885 - Municipal market established. ^[5]
• 1886 - Roanoke Daily Times newspaper begins publication. ^[9]
• 1889 - Evening World newspaper begins publication. ^[9]
• 1890
  • Roanoke Hospital founded. ^[7]
  • Population: 16,159.
• 1891 - Roanoke Weekly Press newspaper begins publication. ^[10]
• 1893 - September 20: "Lynch riot" occurs. ^{[3] [10]}

20th century

• 1902 - Beth Israel congregation formed. ^[11]
• 1903 - Agricultural "Great Roanoke Fair" begins. ^[6]
• 1904 - Chamber of Commerce founded. ^[6]
• 1906 - Virginian Railway begins operating. ^[5]
• 1910
  • City Health Department established. ^[7]
  • Mill Mountain Incline (funicular) begins operating. ^[5]
  • Population: 34,874.
• 1911 - Roanoke Theatre in business. ^[12]
• 1913 - Bijou Theatre in business. ^[12]
• 1914 - YWCA branch founded. ^[7]
• 1919 - "Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court" established. ^[7]
• 1920 - Population: 50,842. ^[7]
• 1921
  • Public Library opens. ^[5]
  • Ku Klux Klan branch active (approximate date). ^{[13] [ chronology citation needed ]}
• 1924 - WDBJ radio begins broadcasting. ^[14]
• 1925 - Patrick Henry Hotel in business.
• 1926 - Memorial Bridge opens.
• 1930 - Big Lick Garden Club formed. ^[5]
• 1933 - Roanoke Municipal Airport begins operating.
• 1936 - First Dr. Pepper plant east of the Mississippi River opened by John William "Bill" Davis; Roanoke soon becomes the Dr. Pepper Capitol of the World ^[15]
• 1939 - Roanoke Tribune newspaper begins publication.
• 1950 - Population: 91,921.
• 1952
  • WSLS-TV (television) begins broadcasting. ^[16]
  • Mill Mountain Zoo established. ^[17]
• 1955 - WDBJ-TV (television) begins broadcasting. ^[16]
• 1957 - Roanoke Historical Society founded. ^[18]
• 1959 - Temple Emanuel Synagogue built. ^[11]
• 1966 - Virginia Western Community College established.
• 1976 - Portion of Roanoke County becomes part of city. ^[4]
• 1980 - Population: 100,220.
• 1985 - Valley View Mall in business.
• 1992 - David A. Bowers becomes mayor. ^[19]
• 1993 - Bob Goodlatte becomes U.S. representative for Virginia's 6th congressional district. ^[20]
• 2000 - City website online (approximate date). ^[21]

21st century

• 2004 - O. Winston Link Museum opens.
• 2010 - Population: 97,032. ^[22]
• 2016
  • October 25: FreightCar America shooting occurs.
  • Sherman P. Lea becomes mayor. ^[19]
• 2020 - The Norfolk Southern locomotive shops cease production in Roanoke after 139 years of operations. ^[23]

See also

• Roanoke, Virginia history
• List of mayors of Roanoke, Virginia
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Roanoke, Virginia
• Timelines of other cities in Virginia: Alexandria, Hampton, Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Virginia Beach

References

1. "Gainsboro Neighborhood Plan". City of Roanoke. 2003. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
2. Scholl Center for American History and Culture. "Virginia: Individual County Chronologies". Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. Chicago: Newberry Library. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
3. Dotson 2008.
4. "Maps and Formation Information: Roanoke". County and City Records. Library of Virginia. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
5. Federal Writers' Project 1941.
6. Jack & Jacobs 1912.
7. Hoffer 1928.
8. "Cities of Virginia: Roanoke". Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
9. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America . Washington DC: Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
10. "Encyclopedia Virginia". Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
11. "Roanoke, Virginia". Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Jackson, Mississippi: Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
12. "Movie Theaters in Roanoke, VA". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
13. Kenneth T. Jackson (1992) [1967]. The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. ISBN   978-1-4617-3005-7.
14. Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Virginia", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC   2459636
15. Christina Rogers, "Dr Pepper pops to life again", Roanoke.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
16. Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Virginia", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC   10512206
17. Vernon N. Kisling, Jr., ed. (2001). "Zoological Gardens of the United States (chronological list)". Zoo and Aquarium History. USA: CRC Press. ISBN   978-1-4200-3924-5.
18. "About Us". Roanoke: Historical Society of Western Virginia. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
19. "City Council: Council History". City of Roanoke. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
20. "Virginia". Official Congressional Directory. 1991/1992- : S. Pub. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1993. hdl:2027/uc1.l0072691827 – via HathiTrust.
21. "City Web: Roanoke, VA". Archived from the original on August 16, 2000 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
    - Kevin Hyde; Tamie Hyde (eds.). "United States of America: Virginia". Official City Sites. Utah. OCLC   40169021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000.
22. "Roanoke city, Virginia". QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
23. "End of an era for Roanoke". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-11.

Bibliography

• Richard Edwards, ed. (1855), "Big Lick", Statistical Gazetteer of the State of Virginia, Richmond
• F.P. Smith (1891). Synopsis of Roanoke and Her Wonderful Prosperity. W. M. Yager and Co., Real Estate Brokers.
• Reports of the City of Roanoke, Virginia circa 1893-
• Picturesque Roanoke. 1902.
• "Roanoke", Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.), New York, 1910, OCLC   14782424
• George S. Jack; E.B. Jacobs (1912). History of Roanoke County; History of Roanoke City.
• Frank William Hoffer (1928), Public and Private Welfare, Roanoke, Virginia, Roanoke City Planning and Zoning Commissions (Fulltext)
• Federal Writers' Project (1941), "Roanoke", Virginia: a Guide to the Old Dominion, American Guide Series, Oxford University Press, pp. 301–306 – via Google Books
• Journal of the Roanoke Historical Society, ISSN   0278-2936 circa 1964-
• Ory Mazar Nergal, ed. (1980), "Roanoke, VA", Encyclopedia of American Cities, New York: E.P. Dutton, OL   4120668M
• Mary Bishop (January 29, 1995), "Street by Street, Block by Block: How Urban Renewal Uprooted Black Roanoke", Roanoke Times– via Roanoke Public Libraries (Fulltext)
• Paul T. Hellmann (2006). "Virginia: Roanoke". Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   1-135-94859-3.
• Rand Dotson (2008). Roanoke, Virginia, 1882-1912: Magic City of the New South. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN   978-1-57233-643-8.

External links

• "City of Roanoke". County and City Records. Richmond: Library of Virginia.
• Items related to Roanoke, Virginia, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)
• Roanoke Public Libraries. "Virginia Room". City of Roanoke. (Local history collection)