March 17 through the years

100 Years ago – 1926

While workers were clearing away debris of the old Hamilton Hotel, they found small sums of money at different times. A rumor went around town that they had discovered $1,200  ($21,900 in today’s dollars) that had been hidden away back in the days before banks. That rumor was unfounded though, it was said, it led the workers to turn over the old bricks more slowly and carefully with attention to what they were uncovering.

75 years ago – 1951

Gov. John S. Battle appointed Commonwealth’s Attorney John Dillard Hooker of Patrick County to the bench of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, a position held by Kennon C. Whittle of Martinsville who had been appointed the week before to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

Globman’s opened a book department in its department store. Among the bestsellers it had were “Joy Street” by Frances Parkinson Keyes, “The Disenchanted” by Bud Schulbert, “River of the Sun” by James Ramsay Ullman, “Foxfire” by Anya Seton and “Kon-Tiki” by Thor Heyerdahl.

The Patrick-Henry Civic Music Association presented a concert by lyric soprano Marion Bell.

50 years ago – 1976

The Henry County Board of Supervisors started the process to hire a consultant to plan the completion of the county landfill and make a plan for the next landfill. The firm was Langley, McDonald and Overman, which the county already was using to oppose an annexation suit which may transfer 12.84 acres of Chatham Heights from the County to the City. That firm also had planned the county’s water and sewer program for the Public Service Authority. The landfill in use only had 5 years of life left, and there were problems with it, such as fires in January that started from the dumping of chemicals

Baxter C. Hairston, 27, of 908 W. Fayette St., died when the car he was driving crashed into a railroad underpass on West Fayette Street near Koehler. He had been driving about 90 miles per hour attempting to elude police. He ran when police went to his house to serve a lunacy warrant on him. A lunacy warrant referred to the legal process of involuntary detention or commitment used to temporarily detain a person who, due to mental illness, poses a danger to themselves or others or is unable to care for himself.

25 years ago - 2001

The Martinsville High School Bulldogs won the state AA basketball championship with a win against Caroline High School played in Lynchburg.

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