Page 75 - A Narrative of the History of Roanoke Virginia

New information about the history of Roanoke
Big Lick to Roanoke from 1874-Part Seventeen

By Richard Mundy
Sources:refer to New Research Sources-previously posted

This installment is a wrap up of the huge celebration of Roanoke’s tenth anniversary and a city
that finally reaches its potential. Growth, new businesses, and a sense of accomplishment and
the solving of many of the city’s problems reach a satisfactory conclusion.

FOLLOWUP OF THE DECENNIAL

THE "DECENNIAL" OF 1892

And as the bubble burst Roanoke held its first decade celebration in 1892. It was called a
"Decennial ", a fancy way of saying that the town was ten years old. Ten years - but as hectic a
decade as the Star City will ever see. It was a truly ambitious celebration. Newspapers from as
far away as Philadelphia , Baltimore and Hagerstown sent correspondents. The proud
committee with a surplus after all obligations had been paid, printed a booklet containing these
newspaper accounts.

It was a two-day jamboree opening on June 17 with an estimated attendance of 50,000 - twice
the population of the new town. All three railroads ran special trains. On the opening day, Friday,
there was a baseball game, horse racing and a mammoth free concert and speech making in
the 5,000-seat Sam Jones Tabernacle which was "a brilliant and artistic success". The orator of
the occasion was the Honorable Henry Kyd Douglas from on the Potomac at Shepherdstown.
He voiced the boastful spirit of the occasion by remarking, "When I first saw this place, about
ten years ago, it had the humble name of Big Lick and a population of about 500, of various
colors, sexes and conditions. To the world at large it was altogether unknown. Now it rejoices in
the euphonious name of the City of Roanoke, with a population variously estimated from 18,000
to 40,000 according to the imagination, mathematical genius and conscience of the particular
citizen who makes the estimate."

A giant parade was held Saturday morning with 5,000 men in uniform, including 1,100 from the
Roanoke :Machine Works and 200 V.M.I. cadets. There were twelve bands and 80 floats. Said
the correspondent of the Fredericksburg Free Lance : " There were 10,000 men in line and the
floats alone were two miles long. Roanoke never does anything by halves. Her people are
thoroughbreds and neither distance nor track count against them when they enter a race to win
applause for their young city."

That afternoon 20,000 watched a sham battle held in the river area later the site of Victory
Stadium and South Roanoke Park . "At night from a commanding eminence in the city there