Officially chartered in 1882, Roanoke is nestled among the Blue Ridge
Mountains and is often referred to as the Star City of the South. The
history of this remarkable community is captured here through the images
of the picture postcard. With the construction of each new bank, school,
bridge, and church, the postcard became a convenient way to promote and
celebrate the achievement; now, these images preserve a collective
record of Roanoke's heritage. See how the area looked in the early
1900s, with its dirt streets, trolley tracks, horse-drawn wagons, and
Model Ts. Postcards of succeeding decades frame the growth of Roanoke
from a railroad town to the center of commerce and industry in
Southwestern Virginia.