The museum will be closed on Saturday, Nov. 15, due to road closures and activities which prevent access. It will reopen again on Tuesday at 10 a.m. as normal. We regret the inconvenience.
Your connection to the past and the building blocks of our community’s future …
Record-breaking VA 250 Car
NASCAR Legend Joey Arrington unveils part of (it’s a secret!) the engine he built to break the world stockcar record. Read all about the VA 250 Car, a project that honors motorsports history at the nation’s and commonwealth’s 250th anniversary.
Each day, this column tells you what happened here 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. Relive the times of legendary and forgotten stores and businesses - clubs - churches - and people, as well as politics and the other “big” news.
The MHC Heritage Museum’s Vampire-Killing Kit
We’re not worried this Halloween about vampires … are you? See our protections, just part of the MHC Heritage Museum’s top-of-the-line security system, where we expect the unexpected.
Field trips & classes
The MHC Heritage Museum offers tours to classes and groups, such as Martinsville Middle School in May 2025 (above). Specialists from the MHC Historical Society also give classes and programs to community groups and schools on your choice of topics. Email kozelsky@mhchs@gmail.com for information.
MHC Heritage Museum
1 East Main Street (former Henry County courthouse); open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
The former courthouse features several exhibits on local history. Topics include means of communication; home sewing; the tobacco heritage; the furniture and textile industries which created great wealth in the area; local musicians; area nightlife; military; and more.
Construction on a 13,000-square-foot addition to the museum was completed in August 2024. It houses the King Collections of fascinating, rare and valuable antiques including Native American artifacts, trains, tools, a gambling parlor, firearms, ivory, early machines, baskets and pottery, dollhouses, medical devices, steam whistles, locks, horse tack and much, much more..
13,000-square-foot annex
Programs & Events
The Historical Society offers a range of programs including:
Graves Anthony and Hunter Haskins will present a program on distilling, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21.
The Society’s signature social and fundraising event, Blue Jeans & Bling, will be held on Oct. 4.
The popular Ghost Walk, will return on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 1.
Jake Abell, of Scuffle Hill Brewing, will present a program on cider, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16.
Facility
The courthouse was built in 1824, significantly expanded in 1929 and retired from county use in 1996, when the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society was formed to preserve it. The stately structure is available for rent for weddings, meetings, reunions, shows and more.
“I know of no way of judging the future than by the past.”
— Patrick Henry (1736-1799); Founding Father, Virginia Governor and Henry County planter