Salem, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Walter Joseph Biggs
Photographed by Stephen Escalera
1. Walter Joseph Biggs Marker
Inscription.
Walter Joseph Biggs. . Born 4 June 1886 in Montgomery County, Walter Joseph Biggs was raised here on Second Street at Roanoke Boulevard. His New York School of Art instructors included Robert Henri. Edward Hopper and George Bellows were classmates. Praised by Norman Rockwell for brilliant and poetic application of color, Biggs illustrated magazines and novels, and won honors in art exhibitions. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1963. Several repositories hold his works, including the City of Salem and the Salem Museum, and Roanoke College owns a major collection. Biggs died 11 Feb 1968 and is buried in Sherwood Memorial Park.
Born 4 June 1886 in Montgomery County, Walter Joseph Biggs was raised here on Second Street at Roanoke Boulevard. His New York School of Art instructors included Robert Henri. Edward Hopper and George Bellows were classmates. Praised by Norman Rockwell for brilliant and poetic application of color, Biggs illustrated magazines and novels, and won honors in art exhibitions. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1963. Several repositories hold his works, including the City of Salem and the Salem Museum, and Roanoke College owns a major collection. Biggs died 11 Feb 1968 and is buried in Sherwood Memorial Park.
Erected 2013 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-335.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music.
Location. 37° 17.377′ N, 80° 3.191′ W. Marker is in Salem, Virginia. It is at the intersection of Roanoke Boulevard and East 2nd Street, on the right when traveling south on Roanoke Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Roanoke Blvd, Salem VA 24153, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Mountain Region, in Southwest Virginia, and in the Blue Ridge Highlands. 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 13, 2026, by Stephen Escalera of Roanoke, Virginia. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photo1. submitted on April 13, 2026, by Stephen Escalera of Roanoke, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
