June 9 through time
100 Years ago – 1925
J.W. Minter at Broad Street and the Norfolk & Western station advertised men’s oxfords at $2.45 to $7.45 and ladies’ oxfords at $3 to $4.75.
A double wedding was held at First Christian Church of Martinsville when Vera Morris married F.G. Craig and Thelma Morris married J.P. Edwards. The brides were the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Morris of Bassett. The two grooms also lived in Bassett, where Mr. Edwards was a clerk at Bassett station and Mr. Craig was assistant cashier at First National Bank of Bassett. The brides wore attractive ensemble costumes of tan and figured crepe with harmonizing accessories.
75 years ago – 1950
The City was gearing up to seriously enforce ordinances that prohibit motorists from chasing firetrucks. It had been more and more of a problem lately, such as when several motorists got in the way in the area of a false alarm in the Sylvan Ridge area. The ordinance stated that unauthorized citizens were not allowed to follow a fire truck any closer than 300 behind, or a city block. They also were not allowed to park vehicles within a block of where a firetruck has parked. City Manager Kent Mathewson said that if warnings didn’t work, the City would set up a practice alarm and invite police to be there to give tickets to all motorists who followed firetrucks to the scene.
50 years ago – 1975
William Hass Miles, 78, was a firespotter. His job was to sit in the 60-foot-tall fire tower in Chestnut Knob, look out for any fires and notify Chief Warden Sam Taylor, using complicated triangulation equipment at the tower or a two-way radio. He mostly just worked in March and April, sitting for 9 hours a day in the 8-foot-square room. He would pass the time reading the newspaper, Reader’s Digest and Grit.
25 years ago - 2000
Of the Martinsville School Board, Chairman Rev. William Shackleford and Vice Chairman Jim Johnson had reached the ends of their terms. Five people have applied to fill the two slots: Judith K. Matthews, Joseph E. Finley, Cynthia W. Ingram, James E. Rountree Jr. and Willis H. Via.
The Class of 2000 was graduated from area high schools. Students who had been followed during their school careers since kindergarten in an article series in the Martinsville Bulletin opened a time capsule. The box included toys, clothes, books, pictures the children had of themselves when they were in third grade and their statements of favorite television shows and what they would like to do when they grew up.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.