Memories Of The Roanoke And New River Valleys

"Virginia's story is not complete until the accounts of the people west of the Blue Ridge are given their due. As more scholars are attraced to the region, the publication of this manuscript guide to five counties will offer them a source for documentary materials. The contiguous bloc of counties are Botetourt, Roanoke, Craig, Montgomery, and Floyd, all part of an area called Southwest Virginia, within the watersheds of the James, Roanoke and New rivers ... -- Introd.

"A collection of little known historical stories in Roanoke, VA"--

Nestled in the shadows of the Blue Ridge, the Roanoke Valley has developed as the capital region for western Virginia. After a century of growth fueled by transportation, education, and healthcare, the region has undergone significant visible change. While some of the valley's landmarks remain, many have been replaced or dramatically altered.

It then describes how that venture initially paid off, as the influx of thousands of people from the North and the surrounding Virginia countryside helped make Roanoke - presumptuously christened the "Magic City" by New South proponents - the state's third-largest city by the turn of the century. Rand Dotson recounts what life was like for Roanoke's wealthy elites, working poor, and African American inhabitants. He also explores the social conflicts that ultimately erupted as a result of well-intended 3reforms4 initiated by city leaders. Dotson illustrates how residents mediated the catastrophic Depression of 1893 and that year's infamous Roanoke Riot, which exposed the faȧde masking the city's racial tensions, inadequate physical infrastructure, and provincial mentality of the local populace. Dotson then details the subsequent attempts of business boosters and progressive reformers to attract the additional investments needed to put their city back on track.

Mere weeks after moving into her unique one-bedroom apartment on a bluff overlooking Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Adelia is confronted by an old man reveals a mystery for which he can remember only two details. He wants to know what has been done to find a valuable locket lost in the building sometime in the distant past. In Memories Will Always Linger, Elizabeth Tidwell brings a fresh style to mystery and historical writings. Using primary dialogue, she weaves a tale of one of Virginia’s more famous post-Civil War families, the Langhornes, with the people and events of the building on the bluff. Cameo characters of the tale include presidents, diplomats’ daughters, a dictator’s son, and movie stars interacting with everyday students and staff of a prominent girls’ prep school, a corrections department academy and a few ghosts. Each chapter is rich with the history of a crucial time in the site’s existence and how the area’s inhabitants are affected. Separate introductions for each chapter chronicle Adelia’s encounters with the old man or the changes in perspective as her fascination and time investment deepen. So organized, there are two surprise endings. Even the author was shocked by the locket’s final resting place.