Sept. 8 through the years
100 Years ago – 1925
Headline in Sept. 8, 1925, Henry Bulletin: “Another Useful Man Is Dead. A.M. Dudley Succumbs to Long Illness Saturday.” He had lived on Church Street. He had been stricken by paralysis in November 1923 while apparently in perfect health. He came to Martinsville from Franklin County in 1900 and he and his brother, G.B. Dudley, worked in tobacco with the W.A. Brown Tobacco Company. A few years later he entered the mercantile trade; and later, he worked in coal and ice and as a contractor.
75 years ago – 1950
Members of the Exchange club saw the movie “Telephone Courtesy,” which demonstrated the proper way to use a telephone. The movie was presented by Garland LaPrade, commercial manager of Lee Telephone Company, Clearance Kearfott was the program chairman, and Stanley Mitchell was the club president.
At a meeting of the Martinsville town council, an additional water supply was assured by the approval of a proposed agreement with the R.A. James Estate. Rights of way would be granted to the town for a supply pipe line through the James property on a 90-year lease with agreeable terms. The water would be pumped from Beaver Creek to the power house site to a settling basin and filtering outfit there, and then on to a standpipe and reservoir. That plan, however, would require the issuance of bonds which might reach $50,000. An auxiliary steam power electric plant also might be included in the proposed bond issue, for $20,000.
50 years ago – 1975
Burglars had been breaking into Martinsville homes and stealing silver over the past few months, and the latest victim was Mrs. S.L. Goodman of 603 Mulberry Road. She reported that several thousands of dollars had been stolen from her china cabinet.
Someone had broken out of, not into, a store in the Patrick Henry Mall. When the burglar alarm went off at JCPenney, a patrolman went to investigate and found the back door at the freight dock was tightly closed but not locked. Store employee James Sike figured that a customer must have been locked inside and panicked and used a tire iron to break the lock off the freight door to get out.
25 years ago - 2000
The Martinsville Sheriff’s Office and City fire and police departments held a Fun Fair Friday and Saturday at the Broad Street parking lot. The Fun Fair was partially inspired by the Fireman’s Bazaars that used to be held from the 1950s through the mid-1980s at locations including Hooker Field, a field were Liberty Fair Mall was built and a field on Brown Street.
“A Night of Bluegrass” and clogging was held in uptown Martinsville. The bands Inside Track and David Via & Corn Tornado performed, and the Old Dominion Cloggers danced, on the lawn of the old Henry County Courthouse. The event was hosted by Martinsville Revitalization Association and WHEE Radio and sponsored by BB&T and Hooker Furniture Corp., and the $4 tickets could be purchased at Arts Etc.
The gate of Southside Park had to start being locked following damages caused by a vehicle overnight. On the infield used by children, tire ruts 3 to 5 inches deep marred the field.
Hooker furniture Corp. Stock Ownership Plan was completed, offering more than 3.5 million shares of Hooker common stock to the company. The Stock Ownership Plan accepted 1.8 million of the shares at $12.50 a share ($22.5 total), making 31% of the company’s employees the largest stockholder of the company.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.