Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Question: Which downtown Roanoke landmark was left submerged during the height of the 1985 flood?

Answer: Market Square in the heart of downtown sat under roughly 3 to 4 feet of water. Lick Run and Trout Run, two creeks that converge in tunnels beneath downtown, overflowed just as backwater pushed up from the Roanoke River, turning the commercial district into a lake of muddy floodwater.