The Salem Museum will unveil a Civil War Trails marker honoring three local Black Union Army veterans at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in East Hill North Cemetery, next to the Museum. A lecture about the veterans’ lives will follow at 2:30 p.m. inside the Museum. Both events are free and open to the public.

The marker, titled “We Will Prove Ourselves Men,” commemorates Larkin Burwell, William Keaton, and Ellis Kile, three Union Army veterans buried in the historically Black cemetery. They served in United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments in different theaters during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Burwell and Kile were enslaved in the area before escaping, while Keaton was born free in Philadelphia. All three joined Union forces in 1864, eventually became friends, and settled in Salem before their deaths after the turn of the 20th century.

Salem Museum assistant director Hunter Haskins will then deliver a lecture, also titled “We Will Prove Ourselves Men,” offering additional details about the veterans’ lives. Following the talk, attendees are invited to visit the Museum’s two newest Black history exhibits.

“Slavery in Salem and the Roanoke Valley” examines slavery in the surrounding community from its introduction during the Colonial era through Emancipation in 1865. Drawing on dozens of local primary sources and secondary research, the exhibit explores the lives of enslaved people and the practice of slavery in the Valley.

“Into the Sunlight of Freedom: Water Street and the Black Communities of Salem” explores the challenges and achievements of Salem’s Black communities in the century after Emancipation. The exhibit highlights the businesses, houses of worship, schools, and organizations that helped build a thriving African American community.

The Museum wishes to give special thanks to the City of Salem and VA250 for help in creating the marker. The event is sponsored by Northwest ACE Hardware, which is providing three new American flags for the veterans’ graves.