History of Williamson Road

Credit to “Williamson Road:  Roanoke’s Historic Strip”, article by Brenda McDaniel, June 30, 2016 published in The Roanoker Magazine

Origins & Early Settlement

The land through which Williamson Road now passes was settled in the first half of the 18th century by pioneers moving down what was called “The Great Road” from the northeast into Virginia and North Carolina.

Until the 1850s the area remained largely rural, in large farms held by a relatively few families: names like Evans, Watts, Breckinridge, Reads, Garsts, Harshbargers, and Moomaws.

There was no “Williamson Road” until 1912. What exists now as the corridor was preceded by just “Tenth Street” as the main road of consequence in that area.

In 1912, residents petitioned Roanoke County for a new road that would provide a better route into downtown Roanoke. Some residents donated land, machinery and funding; the state provided prison labor for construction. The road was named after the Williamson family’s farmland which was condemned via eminent domain to gain the right-of-way. (Interestingly, the family was reportedly not thrilled about losing their land or the forced naming of the road.)

The city of Roanoke annexed the area north of Orange Avenue in 1949, adding about 12 square miles and 16,000 people into the city.

Growth & Significance During the Automobile Age

According to the city’s “Williamson Road Area Plan” (2004), the real boom in development of the corridor happened post-WWII (between 1940 and 1960), when more than 3,500 lots in the area were developed. Factors: housing shortages, new mortgages, and the automobile.

In 1923, Williamson Road became part of the Lee Highway system connecting Washington D.C. and Bristol, Virginia. In 1932 it became part of U.S. 11, which at the time connected Upstate New York to New Orleans.

With the highway traffic came the classic “strip” amenities: motels, gas stations, drive-in restaurants, neon signage. For example: motels such as Roanoke Motor Lodge, Howard Johnson, Air Castle Court, Shangri La, Hitching Post, Big Oak. Restaurants & signs: Archie’s Lobster House, Biff Burger, Little Chef, Esso, Texaco, Pure dotted the road. By the 1960s, the corridor had the characteristics of a classic American cruising and drag-racing strip: “straight lines, abundant stoplights, drive-in restaurants (think ‘American Graffiti’).”

Decline & Revitalization

In the 1970s and 1980s the corridor began to decline. One major cause: travelers and motorists shifting to faster, more direct routes via the Interstate system (e.g., I-81, I-581). The heavy traffic that kept the motels, gas stations, drive-ins alive diminished. The corridor in the 1980s became “a wild ride” – the article notes adult businesses proliferated: porn shops, X-rated movie houses, strip joints, adult bookstores, tattoo parlors, massage parlors became the norm on the road. One resident/business-owner interviewed (Elizabeth Bowles) counted “28” adult businesses in the area at one point, prompting neighborhood action to block further decline.

The community response: formation of the Williamson Road Action Forum (WRAF) and later the business arm, the Williamson Road Area Business Association (WRABA), which continue to exist and advocate for the corridor today under the name GWRABA – The Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association.

The city, over the years, has (and continues) implemented a number of streetscape and infrastructure improvements: wider sidewalks, crosswalks, spruced-up intersections, redesigned storefronts, and traffic calming.  

The continuance of this revitalization to the current day shows how design (streetscape), governance (business associations) and cultural heritage (events) can converge to reshape an historic corridor -- one in which the area’s businesses, owners, and residents can all take pride.