Nov. 13 through time
100 Years ago – 1925
The Henry County Colored Teachers met at the Martinsville colored graded school. Division Superintendent Goode opened the meeting. Rev. Bumgardner, pastor of the colored Methodist church, led devotional exercises. Miss Lucy Stovall, clerk of the school board, called the roll. Bessie Woodward and Mary McDaniel, who had been successful teachers, taught model classes in the primary and grammar grades. T.B. Petty spoke on Supervision; John L. Hairston spoke on Discipline; Sam Hairston spoke on Grading and Examinations; R.M. Wilson talked about Health Rules; Nannie Studevant talked about Amercan Education Week; and Eva Saunders and Mary McDaniel read papers on “School as a Community Center” and “Reading Good Literature.” Edna Eggleston’s home economics students prepared and served the lunch.
State Officer Z.C. Ramsey and Constable I.E. Nolen raided Bowen’s Creek near Dillons Fork and destroyed a 100-gallon still in full operation, as well as supplies and whiskey and beer. The men working the still ran off.
“Freshman Class News” printed on the front page of the Henry Bulletin included: “The Freshman Class enjoyed the holiday given them last Friday on account of the County Teachers Meeting very much. This week they are again ready for work. / It has been reported that Edith Philpott of our class has stopped. The class hopes that the report is not true and that Edith will soon return to school. / Dorothy Scott was absent from school Thursday. The class misses Dorothy so much when she is absent.”
75 years ago – 1950
American Legion Pannill Post held an Armistice Day party at the Legion Home. The program included music, refreshments and entertainment. In addition to celebrating Armistice Day, the program celebrated the Post’s having a record high membership of 428.
25 years ago - 2000
Figsboro Elementary School was the only school in Henry County or Martinsville to achieve full accreditation, and the first school in the area to get it in both grades 3 and 5. Only 22.6 schools in Virginia were fully accredited, which meant that at last 70 percent of the students passed the tests which covered English, math, history/social studies and science. Doris Walker was the principal of Figsboro School, and Dianne Vann was the director of testing for Henry County Schools.
The Postal Rate Commission approved a 1-cent hike in the cost of a first-class stamp, to 34 cents. The postcard stamp remained at 20 cents. Mailing 2 pounds of Priority Mail went from $3.20 to $3.95.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.