Salem Museum

05/16/2026

Come see Executive Director Garrett Channell explore this unusual history of your favorite board games

Our May History After Dark is right around the corner!! Join us on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:00pm to hear about "The Occult History of Board Games"!

A fun pass time, or something deeper and darker? Board games have a long history of use beyond entertainment, including divination and speaking with the dead. Join Garrett Channell, Director of the Salem Museum, as we travel from the ancient civilization of Ur to the parlors of the 1920s to learn about historic board games and their multiple uses.

Call 1772 on Main & Rooftop to make your reservations today! We hope to see you on the roof! 😎

05/13/2026

Join us tomorrow for our May Speaker Series event!

Popular oral storytelling group Let Me Tell Ya! will return to the Salem Museum with “Folk Tales Unpacked: Beyond Happily Ever After!” Admission is free for the event, scheduled for Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Salem Museum.

The program will feature three storytellers, each presenting a traditional folk or fairy tale enhanced with historical context, personal narrative and an examination of how these stories have been softened, reframed or romanticized over time. The evening will include live performances and reflections on well-known childhood tales.

Let Me Tell Ya! is a community of storytellers who share a passion for oral tradition. The group hosts monthly online Guild meetings where participants share new work and receive feedback. Its monthly open mic “Story Swap” features family-friendly stories tied to a theme and limited to five to seven minutes. More information is available at StorytellingConnections.com.

The Salem Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located in the historic 1845 Williams-Brown House at 801 E. Main St., the Museum offers free admission and parking; donations are accepted. The entrance is located at the Oakey Field Complex sign across Main Street from the Berglund Ford service entrance. For more information, call 540-389-6760 or visit SalemMuseum.org.

05/09/2026

Popular oral storytelling group Let Me Tell Ya! will return to the Salem Museum with “Folk Tales Unpacked: Beyond Happily Ever After!” Admission is free for the event, scheduled for Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Salem Museum.

The program will feature three storytellers, each presenting a traditional folk or fairy tale enhanced with historical context, personal narrative and an examination of how these stories have been softened, reframed or romanticized over time. The evening will include live performances and reflections on well-known childhood tales.

Let Me Tell Ya! is a community of storytellers who share a passion for oral tradition. The group hosts monthly online Guild meetings where participants share new work and receive feedback. Its monthly open mic “Story Swap” features family-friendly stories tied to a theme and limited to five to seven minutes. More information is available at StorytellingConnections.com.

The Salem Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located in the historic 1845 Williams-Brown House at 801 E. Main St., the Museum offers free admission and parking; donations are accepted. The entrance is located at the Oakey Field Complex sign across Main Street from the Berglund Ford service entrance. For more information, call 540-389-6760 or visit SalemMuseum.org.

05/05/2026

Salem Museum will open at 12(noon) today due to an education outreach.
Visit us this afternoon for the final week to see the
Glenvar Student Art Show!

04/23/2026

Calling on our community!

We are joining the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce to collect peanut butter for Feeding Southwest Virginia

Drop off jars of peanut butter in our lobby from now through April 29 to help out this great local mission!

04/18/2026

The VA250 Mobile Museum Experience has arrived at the Salem Museum! Step inside from 10 AM to 5 PM today, April 18, and dive into immersive exhibits that bring Virginia’s role in the American Revolution to life. Be sure to also say hi to our living history friends from the Fincastle Company demonstrating Colonial era jobs and trades, and see the Revolutionary War flags of David Gilmer on the front lawn!

Salem Museum's Revolutionary War Weekend is generously sponsored by City of Salem VA250, KEMBA Roanoke Federal Credit Union, The Lofts at Downtown Salem, Sherwood Memorial Park, Mac & Bob's, The Hart Family, The Laub Family, and the Robertson Endowment for Events and Exhibits.

03/11/2026

Salem Museum will be closed
Saturday March 14 and Tuesday March 17
for professional development

03/07/2026

Looking for weekend plans?

Visit Taubman Museum of Art to see our display for Roanoke Arts Pop! Garrett will be there interacting with everyone from now until 4pm today!

03/05/2026

The Salem Museum will hold auditions for its stage adaptation of the 1770s comedy “The Candidates; or, The Humours of a Virginia Election” on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Performances are scheduled for April 17-18, 2026.

Written and set in the early 1770s on the eve of the American Revolution by Colonel Robert Munford, “The Candidates” follows the misadventures of Mr. Wou’dbe, a candidate for the Virginia House of Burgesses, as he competes against the corrupt and colorfully named Sir John Toddy, Mr. Strutabout, and Mr. Smallhopes. The play humorously satirizes colonial campaigning culture as Wou’dbe navigates lively political barbecues and candidate breakfasts in an effort to prove that the virtues of Virginia voters are not entirely lost.

Prior acting experience is helpful but not required; participants should simply be prepared for the challenge of performing the play’s Colonial-era language. The director encourages participation from individuals of all races, cultures, ages, genders, beliefs, abilities, and sexual orientations. Character ages are flexible, and all roles are open to actors of any ethnicity. Walk-in auditions are welcome.

More information available on our website at https://salemmuseum.org/events-activities/

03/04/2026

Homeschool Days are back!!

Homeschool Days resume on Tuesday March 10 with a special guest.

TV shows and movies have spread many myths and inaccuracies about the British soldiers who fought in the American Revolution. Living historian Jeff Briggs will present little known facts about the British Army in general and the British soldier in particular. He will explain the uniform and equipment worn and used by the British soldiers.

RSVP Required. Call 540-389-6760 or email [email protected] to register.

Teens are also welcome to check out our Teen Literature Class as well! This month we are reading The Great Gatsby.