Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Virginia Western Community College

Photographed by Stephen Escalera

1. Virginia Western Community College Marker

Inscription. From 1956 to 1959 Virginia mandated Massive Resistance against the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown decision desegregating public education. In 1958, business leaders from around the state created the Virginia Industrialization Group to oppose Massive Resistance and reverse the damage it had done to education and the economy. Their efforts helped establish a system of technical colleges in 1964 that evolved into the Virginia Community College System in 1966. Roanoke Technical Institute, a branch of Virginia Tech, was combined with the University of Virginia’s Roanoke Center to form what became Virginia Western Community College. This was the first community college to open under the new system.

Erected 2023 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-168.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1966.

Location. 37° 14.804′ N, 79° 58.327′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia. It is in Virginia Western Community College. It is at the intersection of Colonial Avenue Southwest (Virginia Route 720) and McNeil Drive SW, on the right when traveling south on Colonial Avenue Southwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3089 Colonial Ave SW, Roanoke VA 24015, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region

and in Southwest Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: McNeil Drive (within shouting distance of this marker); Virginia Western Community College Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fishburne Park Flagpole (approx. half a mile away); The Coffee Pot (approx. 1.1 miles away); A Colonial Ford (approx. 1.3 miles away); Fire Station No. 7 (approx. 1.3 miles away); Arthur Taubman (approx. 1.4 miles away); Roanoke Memorial Bridge (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Roanoke.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2026, by Stephen Escalera of Roanoke, Virginia. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on March 23, 2026, by Stephen Escalera of Roanoke, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.