Sept. 18 through the years

100 Years ago – 1925

 An orthopedic clinic for indigent crippled children under the age of 14 was held at the Martinsville Grammar School. The yearly clinic had been sponsored by the Red Cross since 1920.

Ad for T.E. Gravely & Co., Hardware of Every Description, Main Street: “Why! Even little Betty can do it! Even a child can do a first class job with Devoe Mirrolac Stains-n-Varnish. It is so easy to apply – it lightens your labor while it brightens and beautifies your home.” The illustration with the ad showed a mother watching her little daughter paint varnish onto a stool.

Fashion article headline: “Sheer, colorful lingerie takes no note of winter.” The accompanying photograph shows a young woman with a top that goes down to the hip, and has a loosely tied ribbon around a dropped waist, and wide sleeves going to the elbow; and loose pants down to the ankles, with ruffles around the ankles.

75 years ago – 1950

New federal credit controls became effective, the Retail Merchants Association of Martinsville announced. They were: for automobiles, down payments of at least one-third and maximum loan times of 21 months; for appliances, down payments of at least 15% and loan maturities of 18 months maximum; for furniture and rugs, down payments of at least 10% and maximum maturity of 18 months.

50 years ago – 1975

Crystal Gravely had just begun a job as the public relations representative of Memorial Hospital. She was the daughter-in-law of Harry Gravely, the president of the board of trustees at the hospital. Clyde L. Britt was the hospital’s executive director.

25 years ago - 2000

The local chapter of Habitat for Humanity was building its 16th house, this one on Stoney Mountain Road. Thomas Biggs was one of the volunteers working on it. The house was for a family with eight children. Bill Adkins was the chapter president.

— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.