SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — The Salem Historical Society brought history to life on March 25th, they celebrated the opening of a brand-new permanent exhibit, “Through Their Eyes.”
The exhibit highlights a timeline of 16 events that helped shape the Salem and Roanoke area. Each event is told through the eyes of a significant person from that time.
Exhibit designer, Alex Burke, says they have been working on this exhibit since last July– sorting through more than 350 years of history to find those 16 moments that had the greatest impact on the area. The exhibit includes events that date back as far as 1671 all the way into the 21st century.
“A lot of people don’t realize there’s more to Salem and the Roanoke valley than meets the eye, and there’s more than 250 years of history here in this area,” said Burke.
On Saturday, historical interpreters were there to give people an even more immersive experience. David Gillmer is one interpreter who says an exhibit like this makes history education exciting.
“Reading history in a book, you may not relate to it, but to actually see it and feel it and hear it and taste it and touch it, it adds those dimensions to it,” said Gillmer.
If you want to learn more, Burke is holding another event on April 20th, called “Behind the Scenes of Through Their Eyes” where he will be talking more about how the exhibit came to be.
For more information on the new exhibit, visit the Salem Museum website.
