June 30 through the years
100 Years ago – 1925
J. Randolph Smith opened a Dental Office in the Masonic Temple, the location previously occupied by his father, the late Dr. J.P. Smith.
Classified ad: “WANTED – Man that has had experience in collecting debit for Martinsville, and Fieldale, and would prefer man that has a car. Good proposition for the right man. Write box 443, Danville Va.
75 years ago – 1950
Nowadays society would call meat coming from Greensboro or Winston-Salem local, because who knows where it comes from anymore. However, this ad from Carter’s Frozen Foods Inc. promotes buying only Henry County chicken: “Want a Fresh Fryer? Then visit our plant, see the kind of FRYERS we buy – see them properly processed. Then ask for CARTER’S Poultry at your grocer. FRYERS purchased by us are premium FRYERS raised off the ground by progressive HENRY COUNTY FARMERS to whom we pay the market price. Home Grown is equally as important as Home Owned. You have a choice when buying FRYERS, between stores selling ours and stores having fryers SHIPPED in mostly from Greensboro, Winston-Salem or Guilford, N.C. … Remember if it’s CARTER’S it is the only FRESH, Home KILLED FRYER in the city!”
The J.E.B. Stuart’s Woman’s Club, which often met in the home if its president, Mrs. Robert Boaz, purchased a merry-go-round for the playground at the Stuart School. Also in Stuart, Miss Ethel L. Grubbs, Patrick County Home Demonstration Agent, organized a Home Demonstration Club with officers: Mrs. E. Lyle Clark, president; Mrs. Arthur Williams, secretary and treasurer; Mrs. W.B. Ashby, food preservation and production leader; Mrs. Ammon Sears, federation goal leader; Mrs. James C. Akers and Mrs. Nash Thompson, project leaders; and Mrs. M.E. Thompson, reporter.
50 years ago – 1975
Louis Turner, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Turner of Letcher Court, signed a contract with the National Opera Company for the 1975-76 season. He would perform three leading roles. He had just returned from performing in New Hampshire and was scheduled to perform in Rome in July.
Farmer Joe Henry Morrison, 63, of Ridgeway died when the tractor he was driving flipped over on top of him. The tiller had gotten hung up on a root.
People were still crossing the Smith River on the swinging bridge, and that even included Mrs. Arthur Jarrett, 81, and Mrs. R.L. Hutcherson, 80. The bridge was first built in 1919, crossing the river in Bassett near Riverside Drive. It was washed out in the mid-1930s. Mr. R.L. Hutcherson and Sam Turner rebuilt it, and Mr. Hutcherson, who worked at Bassett Industries, helped maintain it for 21 years. In 1975 the sides of the swinging bridge were only cable, but in years past they had chicken wire along them to keep small children from falling. Two other swinging bridges in years past, at different locations, also had crossed the Smith River.
25 years ago - 2000
Miss Martinsville-Henry County Patice Holland was in Roanoke competing in the Miss Virginia Pageant. For the talent portion of the competition, she sang “I Will Always Love You.”
Henry County Supervisors R.E. “Mike” Seidle and Paula Burnette were named to the committee that would look at historic significance of properties affected by the potential I-73 (which ended up never getting off the ground).
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.