Nov. 17 through the years
100 Years ago – 1925
Mr. Cross of the Cross Laundry Co. went to Greensboro, N.C., to have a regular laundry body installed on a new one-ton Chevrolet truck chassis that he had recently bought from the Self-Bowles Motor Co. That truck went into immediate service, taking the place of a lighter machine formerly used.
The Henry Bulletin had a few articles on how electricity was being brought to farms in other states. One stated, “in more than a dozen states, from one end of America to the other, the question of making electric service available to the American farmer is being studied, with the aid of practical experiments, in a painstaking and encouraging manner. Steady progress is to be noted, most of the states investigating the problem in their own way, but all seeking to devise a practical economic program which will meet the needs of both the farmers and the power companies …”
Another article had Secretary of Agriculture W.M. Jardine, addressing the electric utilities of Nebraska, saying that electricity will be used in every way to aid in food preparation, combating insect pets and stimulating animal and plant growth. In one article, two farmers from Illinois explained how they used electricity in threshing. Yet another touts the merit of an electrical lawn mower for the farm, and another article again points out that using electricity “as the housemaid-of-all-work” is more efficient than using a human maid.
Fashion article in the Henry Bulletin: “Present Vogue Favors Silk Underwear Sets – If you are counting your blessings do not forget this one – living in an age when silk underwear is considered an economy and not an extravagance. That silk underwear is practical is a perfectly logical conclusion arrived at by women everywhere who having put the theory to the test have proved it as a fact …”
75 years ago – 1950
Five Martinsville men attended the regional meeting of the Western Virginia Military Manpower Committee at Patrick Henry Hotel in Roanoke. They were: M/Sgt. Rocky Santomassino, Nick Prillaman, Dan Greene, Seymour Rosenberg and Arthur Richardson. Shelton Scales also was on the committee but did not go to the meeting The committee functioned as an advisory committee and worked in conjunction with the local US Army and Air Force recruiting service.
50 years ago – 1975
A Kroger store opened at Martinsville Shopping Plaza, U.S. 220 at Armory Road. It was open 24 hours a day. The Kroger in Druid Hills was open from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays and 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
25 years ago - 2000
A blanket showing scenes of Martinsville and Henry County was offered for sale at $49.95. It was jacquard woven in cranberry, hunter green and natural, 50 inches wide and 65 inches long. The blanket was sold by Caroline Designs of 1112 Cherokee Trail, Martinsville.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.