Downtown Tour

    I enjoyed being a tour leader and having the opportunity to pass down the history of Roanoke to the 6th graders. When I would tell the history of all the stops we made on Main Street the eyes of the 6th graders in my group would light up with fascination. Just to see them so intrigued by learning things they didn't know about Roanoke made me smile. I loved being able to talk about how Roanoke was once a bustling city. It is important for someone to teach future generations about our past because once you teach them, they will be able to teach the next generation. Learning all the things about Roanoke will save the history and keep people more interested in our community. Even though our town isn't what is use to be, teaching and preserving its history will make younger generations want to serve their community to keep the history alive. The most interesting thing I learned while preparing for the downtown tour is that there use to be a place where men gambled on games of pool. Also I learned that whenever they would play pool women and children couldn't look toward where they gambled when they walked or drove by because it was frowned upon. The kids in my group thought that the Elephant Station which was once the shape of an iceberg was once an actual iceberg and they asked why the ice had not melted yet!