The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 9

could be presented to Shenandoah officials
who were convening in Lexington the next day.
Several speeches were made by the town's merchants
enthusiastically expressing support for
Moomaw's idea. But time was of the essence.
A petition was hastily written that promised
railroad officials a terminal and $10,000 toward
the effort of converting Big Lick into the railroad's
operational headquarters.
As signatures were being garnered and
financial pledges secured, Moomaw left for
Buchanan, leaving instructions as to how he
could be reached should the effort materialize.
Thomas had ridden 23 miles that April
night in pitch black darkness to meet Moomaw,
and Moomaw had a 24-mile ride to reach
Lexington. Reaching Lexington at daybreak,
Moomaw made his presentation to the railroad
officials later that morning, producing the petition
and pledges. According to later reports,
the Shenandoah's board of directors voted
unanimously for Big Lick and instructed its
engineers to begin surveying. Shortly thereafter,
a celebration of the news was held in Big Lick's
Rorer Hall with speeches, drinking and music
by the Big Lick Band. Moomaw and Thomas
" While our near
neighbors slept, we
painted Big Lick red. "
CHARLES THOMAS
Peyton Terry, who chaired the meeting, asked
for a volunteer " to ride that night with the
greatest message that Big Lick had ever sent
out " according to an account written some
decades later. Charles Thomas, the town's
sergeant, stepped forward.
Years later, Thomas described his rendezvous
with Moomaw. " It was not the poor little handful
of money, but the progressive spirit of the
Big Lick citizens that won for us the terminal
of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. While
our near neighbors slept, we painted Big Lick
red. " Thomas rode through the night, coming
upon Moomaw at 1 a.m., who was waiting at
a point near Arch Mills on Looney's Creek.
" 'Mr. Moomaw, I have some very important
papers that Mr. Terry entrusted me to deliver to
you,' and I thereupon handed him the package.
He remarked in his quiet way, 'Mr. Thomas, I
believe these papers will bring the Shenandoah
Valley Railroad to Big Lick.' At this we parted,
he turning his horse's head toward Lexington,
and I turning mine back toward Roanoke. "
were toasted, as they regaled the crowd about
their storied ride.
The merged Shenandoah Valley Railroad
and A.M. & O became the Norfolk & Western
Railway, and in 1882, Big Lick was renamed
Roanoke. The resulting explosion in population
due to the railroad's presence gave Roanoke its
first moniker, " Magic City. "
Sadly, Moomaw did not live long enough to
see the full fruits of his efforts, dying in 1886
at his home in Cloverdale at the age of 46.
Thomas was later elected as Roanoke's first
treasurer, a position he held for many years. He
and his wife spent their retirement years living
at Guinea Mills in Cumberland County. When
Thomas died at the age of 91 in 1946, headlines
in Roanoke and around the state declared
the death of " Roanoke's Paul Revere. " Even
the New York Times ran a small obituary for
Thomas with the title " Man Carried Word of
Railroad Offer in 1881. "
Today, a state highway marker sits along
Route 11 in Botetourt County near Mill Creek
Baptist Church close to the believed rendezvous
point of Thomas and Moomaw, highlighting
the story of their midnight ride that forever
changed the history of Roanoke. I
The Neal Tavern in Big Lick
was located along present-day
Shenandoah Avenue.
NELSON HARRIS is a former mayor of Roanoke and author of a dozen books on the region's history. He is the minister at Heights Community Church in Roanoke and a past
president of the Historical Society of Western Virginia.
TheRoanoker.com
January/february 2024 9
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The Roanoker January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker January/February 2024

The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover1
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover2
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 3
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 4
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 5
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 6
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 7
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 8
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 9
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - 11
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The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR1
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR2
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR3
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR4
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR5
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR6
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR7
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR8
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR9
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR10
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR11
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR12
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR13
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR14
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR15
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR16
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR17
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR18
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR19
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR20
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR21
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR22
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR23
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR24
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR25
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR26
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR27
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR28
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR29
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR30
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR31
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR32
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR33
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR34
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR35
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR36
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR37
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR38
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR39
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR40
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR41
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR42
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR43
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR44
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR45
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR46
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR47
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR48
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR49
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR50
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR51
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR52
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR53
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR54
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR55
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR56
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR57
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR58
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR59
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR60
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR61
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR62
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR63
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR64
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR65
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR66
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR67
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR68
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR69
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR70
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR71
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR72
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR73
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR74
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR75
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR76
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR77
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR78
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR79
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR80
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR81
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR82
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR83
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR84
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR85
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR86
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR87
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR88
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR89
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR90
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR91
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - VBR92
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover3
The Roanoker January/February 2024 - Cover4
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