Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 24, 1995 TAG: 9501240079
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Now, the archway over a creek and another culvert nearby may become part of a walking trail along the old Valley Railroad, a post-Civil-War project that was never destined to be.
Parts of the right of way for the railroad still are visible beside houses and through woodlots - a narrow strip of land above the surrounding landscape, flat on top where rail ties were to be laid. The property, though, has been absorbed into surrounding lots and the right of way all is privately owned now.
Taking a walk along the Valley Railroad with John Hildebrand, a member of the Salem Historical Society, shows how meaningful the historic sites are to people. He gives a guided tour of the remnants scattered throughout Salem and scrambles up hills to find the overgrown railroad bed.
Just past WSLQ/WSLC radio station's land, where the biggest culvert sits, development has begun - dirt is being excavated from the railroad right of way, gobbling a chunk out of the elevated strip.
``Damn,'' he says on seeing it.
The smaller culvert, probably 7 feet high and 100 feet long, likely was crafted from stone hauled in by sled. The larger one, with a 12-foot arch over the creek, is a marvel that even today remains an impressive sight.
``It represents an engineering effort that I think ought to be preserved,'' Hildebrand says, adding, ``I don't know how many people are interested in it.''
The Valley Railroad trail is part of a larger effort by the Hanging Rock Battlefield and Railway Preservation Foundation. The group is trying to tie the Valley Railroad, an abandoned Norfolk & Western rail spur and the Hanging Rock Battlefield into a proposal for federal money.
Since the foundation was formed in November, the project has grown into a proposal for two federal grants of between $600,000 and $750,000, foundation President Dave Robbins told Salem City Council on Monday night. The application deadline is Jan. 31, and both Salem and Roanoke County passed resolutions supporting the applications, which must compete against others from across the state. Several property owners near Hanging Rock may donate historic sites to the project, which is picking up steam.
At least 75 people showed up to look at architects' drawings of the project at the Salem Civic Center recently. Objections were raised, however, about creating a walking trail across people's yards, so the Valley Railroad trail has been modified so walkers go down Stoutamire Drive to the radio station property instead of through private property.
While the Valley Railroad portion of the project is somewhat tenuous, a walking/biking trail on an abandoned rail spur appears to be a sure thing if the foundation gets the grant. The 1.6-mile Norfolk & Western spur down Kessler Mill Road goes to Hanging Rock, and years ago was used to deliver coal to Catawba Hospital. Removing the rail ties and paving the section from Branch Drive north, making it handicapped-accessible and adding interpretative signs are options being discussed.
The trail would lead to the Hanging Rock Battlefield, at Virginia 419 and 311, the site of the only Civil War battle in the Roanoke Valley.
Virginia Solloway, the only living descendant of the Garst family who owned the Hanging Rock property, is excited about the project. In the early 1960s, her cousin Mattie Garst willed the actual rock to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a group involved in the Hanging Rock foundation.
Garst women were living on the property when the skirmish broke out June 21, 1864, Solloway said. The main fighting at Hanging Rock took place where the Orange Market stands now at the intersection of 419 and 311.
``There were only a few young men too young for service to protect them and older men who were disabled,'' she said.
A small marker is the only reminder of the historic event, something the foundation wants to change with a picnic area and involvement in a statewide program to map such sites.
For a state whose Civil War history is still alive in its collective memory, there is a surprising lack of coordinated preservation of its war sites, trail backers say. This was made clear when the Richmond-area visitor center undertook a program to catalog small sites not protected by federal or state programs, called ``Virginia's Civil War Trail.''
The statewide program would put up signs at sites like Hanging Rock and the Jubal Early Homeplace in Franklin County. The signs would correspond with a statewide Civil War map for tourists and residents.
``There's been a lot of demand for Civil War information [at state tourism offices], and they don't have it,'' said Tim Gubala, director of economic development for Roanoke County.
The Hanging Rock foundation includes representatives from Roanoke County, Salem, Sons of Confederate Veterans, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Roanoke Valley Historical Society and Museum, and Salem Historical Society.
The unsuccessful Valley Railroad was developed between 1867 and 1870 to link Salem, Lexington and Harrisonburg. Even with support from Robert E. Lee, then president of Washington College in Lexington, the railroad never received funding to do more than build some bridges and culverts.
Besides the one behind North Mill Road, some can be seen along Peters Creek Road between Hollins and Salem.
by CNB