July 14 through the years
100 Years ago – 1925
The Business and Professional Women’s Club met at the home of Mrs. W.W. Kellogg, near Preston. They assembled under a huge oak tree in the yard, made comfortable with rugs and hammocks. Iced lemonade was served. Mrs. Kellogg led the group along a trail through the meadow to a clear brook between the hills and the whole club went wading. When they had returned back to the oak tree, a bountiful supper prepared by the Henry Hotel awaited them, picnic-style. The banking members of the club provided the program; they were Gertrude Fusfield, Lydia Bryan and Bessie Prillaman. Mary Stovall, the vice president, led the meeting in the absence of the president. She welcomed new members Mrs. Daisy Morris, Mrs. Mattie Smith, Mrs. Morris Prager, Miss Helen Stultz, Mrs. Witt, Miss Maude Turner and Miss Bassett of Fieldale. After the supper and business program, it had gotten dark, and the women spent half an hour with songs and stunts around a bonfire.
75 years ago – 1950
Tires in the local area had been all bought up due to panic-buying. Bill Burch of A.L. Burch and Son reported that his large stock of tires was all sold out in just a week. He attributed it to war scare (Korean War). Billy Joe Franklin of Cavalier Tire Sales said he had been unable to keep in stock enough tires to meet demand and people were stacking them up in their basements. Willie Smart, of Martinsville Home and Auto, said people got “caught last time and don’t want it to happen again.” Cabell Dudley of Esso Service Center said people are afraid of war and were worried that the government recently had opened three synthetic rubber plants that had been closed since the last war, so they got tires replaced on their vehicles right away, months before they needed to. Other tire sellers facing customer rush included Andy Joyce of George Tire Company, Ralph Campbell of Burroughs-White Chevrolet and E.L Breeden of Goodyear.
Gregory Swanson, a black lawyer from Danville who had moved to Martinsville, had applied to the University of Virginia graduate school. The university’s Board of Visitors held a meeting to consider his application. He had just opened a law office in Martinsville, on West Church Street, that week. He was a graduate of Howard University with bachelor’s degrees in law and political science. The Board of Visitors decided not to allow Swanson to enroll. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People offered to help Swanson fight the decision in courts, but by a week he had not decided whether or not to do so.
William N. Reynolds, a Critz native and one of the founders of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, N.C., announced that he would donate $100,000 to Critz for the construction of a community building with school gymnasium. The Hardin-Reynolds Memorial High School Alumni Association and Critz Ruritan Club met that night to make preliminary plans. They were the two groups Mr. Reynolds had appointed to handle his funds. Two weeks before, a committee of Critz citizens A.A. Anthony Sr., Mr. and Mrs. N.C. Terry and C.E. Marion visited Mr. Reynolds to talk about the proposed project. Mr. Reynolds was the only one of the five Reynolds brothers born in Critz who was still living.
50 years ago – 1975
Bryant’s Sport Center at 107 E. Main St. had hunting and fishing licenses on sale, plus a wide variety of supplies.
25 years ago - 2000
The Patrick Henry Development Council was working on a strategic plan to create at least 750 jobs for the area, which paid the high salary of at least $30,000.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.