May 1 through time
100 Years ago – 1925
The Roundabout Incorporated was a club at the Smith River. An article published May 1 stated that anyone entering the property unaccompanied by a member would be an intruder or trespasser, but it did not say where that property was. Stockholders, officers and committee members were: Dr. C.T. Womack, J. Frank Wilson, W.B. Read, O.D. Ford, H.I. Tuggle Jr., C.P. Smith Jr., Guy Davis, P.S. Ford, H.V. Price. Members included H.A. Ford, T.M. Ford, Dr. J.A. Shackelford, C.W. Waller, J.D. Sparrow, K.C. Whittle, H.D. Whittle, S.G. Whittle Jr., J.C. Greer, Dr. M.E. Hundley, J.C. Hooker, W.P. Hodnett, R.M. Simmons, W.R. Broaddus Jr., T.G. Burch, M.E. Whitener.
A Notice published on May 1 read: “To the Members of Roundabout, Inc.: Inform yourself of the by-laws and ground rules of your club, thus avoiding unnecessary embarrassment and fines for violating the rules and regulations. A copy of the by-laws and ground rules will be kept posted in the club house. Certain rules and regulations apply to the wives of the members or a close relative designated by bachelor members of the club. There will be no swimming, bathing or fishing permitted in Roundabout lake this season. Each member is appointed a committee of one to report all infractions of the rules to the ground committee. Signed, Ground Committee.”
75 years ago – 1950
United Dollar Stores Inc. received a building permit to remodel the former Globman building which fronted the Public Square. Globman had just moved to its new building which now is Martin Plaza.
A Martinsville woman was fined $50 (about $650 today) and court costs following conviction of a charge of using abusive language. Witnesses testified that she used abusive and profane language toward another woman on Jackson street early the Sunday morning, two days before.
A cut-off of telephone service was narrowly avoided when telephone maintenance and installation men, who had been on strike, resumed negotiations. More than 10,000 had been on strike. Strikes affected other industries as well: United Press Associations, a news service, lost the services of its teletype operators and other traffic workers, who went on strike; 89,000 United Auto workers had been on strike for 7 days against Chrysler Corp.; and 12,000 service employees in New York City had abandoned their posts in 1,000 buildings, leaving more than 200,000 apartment dwellers without elevator service, telephone switchboard, heat, hot water and garbage disposal.
50 years ago – 1975
Three generations of one family completed Defensive Driving Courses: Mrs. Gora Gardner, 59, a great-grandmother; her daughter, Mrs. George McDowell, 42, and her grandson, George P. McDowell, 16.
25 years ago - 2000
Witcher Paing and Body Shop, at 969 Stultz Road, and 15 vehicles that had been parked there were destroyed by fire. It was a wooden building with a tin ceiling. The Collinsville Fire Department responded.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.