April 20-30
APRIL 20 100 years ago - 1926
The Heritage Brothers Big Ring Trained Wild Animal Circus put on a show in Martinsville at 2 p.m., preceded by a circus parade at noon.
75 years ago – 1951
Dr. John A. Shackelford was newly elected to the board of directors of Bassett Furniture Industries. He replaced Thomas G. Burch, who had died. The other officers remained the same: W.M. Bassett, J.D. Bassett, J.E. Bassett, J.D. Bassett Sr. and N.G. Brammer. The directors were those men plus J.C. Greer, W.R. Broaddus Jr. L.C. Carter and Dr. Shackelford.
50 years ago – 1976
The entire stock of tillers was on sale at J.C. Penney. The JCPenney brand 3 ½ HP with a Briggs and Stratton engine, originally prices at $239.95, was on sale for $177 ($1,001 in today’s dollars). The 5 HP tiller with 16 14” diameter tines and 26” swath (end tines removable for narrower width) cost $22 on the sale. The 8 HP tiller cost $322 on sale, down from $399.95. For those who would prefer to stay indoors, the AM/FM stereo/matrix radio with 8 track play/record tape deck, four speakers and 4 channel balancer cost $222, down from $269.95.
25 years ago - 2001
Johnny Yellock, the CPFilms employee who had been burned two days before by a flash fire in the plant, died from his burns.
The Fieldale Fire Department held a dance with the Pat Smith Band performing music.
APRIL 21 100 Years ago – 1926
More sandwich recipes from Nellie Maxwell: Five o’Clock Tea Sandwich: Work cream cheese with wooden spoon until smooth; season with salt and pepper; spread onto thin salted cracker and cover with marshmallow; top with another cracker and place in moderate oven until filling melts. California Sandwiches: Cut sandwich bread into ½-inch slices. Spread three slices thinly with mayonnaise, one of them on both sides. Put mild green peppers through the meat chopper twice, then do the same with mild red peppers. Keep separate. Squeeze dry in a cloth to remove moister. Season with grated onion and moisten with mayonnaise. Put between slices of bread, making two layers of green peppers and one of red. Trim off the crusts and fold in a napkin; place under a weight. After several hours cut into slices for serving. Jewish Cheese Sandwiches: Mix ¼ cup of sweet butter with 1 large block of cream cheese. Add 1 tsp. chopped capers, 1 finely chopped shallot, ½ tsp. caraway seed and ½ tsp. salt. Mix, then pack solidly into a mold. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from mold, cut into thin slices and put between buttered rye bread spread thinly with French mustard. Press edges together, and serve with coffee. Green Sandwiches: Chop green pepper, Bermuda onion and a sprig or two of parsley. Mix all together, squeeze juices out, then add mayonnaise or cooked salad dressing. Serve on buttered white bread.
75 years ago – 1951
Rev. L.R. Freeman, pastor of Fuller Memorial Baptist Church, won the Exchange Club’s contest for a safety slogan. His winning slogan was “Strive to Drive to Stay Alive.” His slogan was one of several hundred slogans entered into the contest. His prize was $25, presented to him by Sgt. T.G. Finney of the Martinsville Police Dept.
50 years ago – 1976
For the first time, American of Martinsville furniture was being sold in England. Stores that would sell it included Harrod’s of London.
25 years ago - 2001
The Multiple Sclerosis 250 was held at the Martinsville Speedway. About 250 walkers raised $23,662 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Forty percent of the total amount raised during the MS Walk went toward national research, and the other 60% stayed in the Blue Ridge Chapter area. The chapter covered 51 counties in north and southwest Virgina and included 1,900 people with MS. Many groups conducted fund-raising efforts before the MS Walk, such as Liberty Fair Mall and the JC Penney Outlet, which donated $1,000, and the Albert Harris Elementary School staff and students, who donated another $1,000.
Figsboro Ruritan Club held a country breakfast buffet, which cost $5 for adults and $2.50 for children. Fontaine Ruritan Club held a steak supper to benefit the Ridgeway Fire Department.
APRIL 22 100 Years ago – 1926
The Kiwanis Club met at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co.’s plant on Main Street, owned by Tuggle Co. Messrs A.L. and Irvin Tuggle were in charge of the meeting, and Mrs. A.L. Tuggle and Miss Bessie Tuggle decorated the place in the Coca-Cola color scheme of red, yellow and green, and they served refreshments. A.L. Tuggle described the cola bottling process. The high school orchestra performed music, and Mrs. Womack sang several beautiful solos. More than 175 people attended, half of them ladies, guests of the evening.
75 years ago – 1951
Construction on the new state bridge spanning the Smith River on State Route 57 between Bassett and Fairy Stone State Park resumed. The work had been stalled due to a shortage in steel.
50 years ago – 1976
Barbara Collier’s neighbor saved her house at 1217 Lawson St. (off Rives Road) from a probable disaster. She had left the TV on while she walked across the road to chat with her neighbors, the Lindy Beckett family. As they were talking they saw flames coming out of Mrs. Collier’s window. Mr. Beckett ran across the road to her house, picked up the burning television set, ran to the front yard and threw it. As it hit the ground it exploded with a loud bang.
25 years ago - 2001
Gas prices were rising: $1.42.9 to $1.53.9 at Ezee-In Mart Marathon Station in Collinsville to $1.53.9 to $1.73.9 at M&M’s Car Care in Patrick County. Gas prices had just gone up about 10 cents locally, but the local prices were still below the statewide average.
APRIL 23 100 Years ago – 1926
“Ice Cream Is Good for Children,” the ad for Piedmont Creamery Co. (Phone 425) states. “Doctors all say so – and the way kiddies like it, you just know it’s good for them. Feed them more of it – have ice cream for dessert at least once a day. It’s a nourishing food.” That week’s special flavor was strawberry.
75 years ago – 1951
About 3,000 anglers showed up to fish for trout at the opening of the 1951 season. There was a large turnout on Horsepasture Creek in Henry County, with most of the fisherman fishing near the farm of Rep. T. B. Stanley. Most of the fish caught measured between 7 and 14 inches, with a few larger. In Patrick County, experienced fisherman Will Joyce estimated the number of trout anglers between 2,500 and 3,000. Almost 1,500 fished at the Dan River below the dam at The Pinnacles. More women were out fishing than had been seen in previous years.
50 years ago – 1976
Forty-three prisoners were housed at the city prison farm, which was minimum security. Every now and then a prisoner walked off, and those who did would have a few extra days tacked onto his sentence. By the end of April 1976 nine prisoners had walked off, and five of them returned on their own. Prisoners worked on assignments for nearly every city department, including the library, sanitation and health departments and the armory, usually supervised only by city employees, and the guards at the prison farm were not armed.
25 years ago - 2001
CPFilms shut down its Fieldale plant for the day of the funeral of Johnny Yellock, 45, who died from burns sustained the previous week in a flash fire at the plant. He had worked at the plant for 5 ½ years. He was the husband of Brenda Yellock. Garry Clark also had been burned, but not as critically.
APRIL 24 100 Years ago – 1926
A meeting of the newly formed Golf and Country Club of Martinsville was held in the Henry Hotel. The temporary officiary was A.D. Witten, president; J.D. Sparrow, secretary; and J.W.F. Beckner, treasurer. The committee on grounds was S.S. Stevens, Clyde Hooker and H.A. Ford. More than 60 people had signified intentions to join.
75 years ago – 1951
The first Martinsville or Henry County body to be returned from the Korean War for burial was that of Pvt. James L. Franklin, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Franklin of Barrows Mill Road. He was only 17. The funeral was held 2 days later at the College Street Primitive Baptist Church with Elder Cecil Turner officiating, and a military service was given at the grave at Roselawn Burial Park. He volunteered for Army service in July 1950 and was killed four months later.
50 years ago – 1976
The Wednesday Book Club conducted an Orthopedic Clinic biannually in connection with the health department. The latest clinic treated 37 patients, ordered six new braces and nine new pairs of shoes and made nine X-rays. Members of the club provided much of the labor of the clinic. They included Mrs. H.I. Tuggle and Mrs. J. Coates Carter, co-chairmen, and Mrs. Mason Rowe, Mrs. Grady Moore, Mrs. Robert Pannill, Mrs. Frank Lacy and Mrs. Brooks Leavitt.
Two refugee brothers in Martinsville married two refugee sisters. The Pham sisters, whose family lived at 208 Fairy Street under the sponsorship of First Baptist Church of Martinsville, married Vietnamese half-brothers Bon Van Nguyen and Hoan Nhu Vu. Yen Thi Pham married Hoan Nhu Vu, and Yen Kim Thi married Bon Van Nguyen. The double wedding ceremony conducted by the Rev. J.H. Bonomo of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The couples were of the Catholic faith when they lived in their native Vietnam. They had known each other for 4 years, three years in Vietnam and 1 year in Martinsville.
25 years ago - 2001
Henry County Administrator Sid Clower was recommending that Henry County and the City of Martinsville combine their schools and utilities. Four Henry County Supervisors backed a plan to conduct a study on consolidating services: Mike Seidle of Reed Creek, Paula Burnette of Iriswood, Francis Zehr of Ridgeway and Sam Pilson of Blackberry. The other two board members, Jamie Crigger of Collinsville and Debra Buchanan of Horsepastore, said the decision should be made by voters via referendum.
The Fun Fair, a carnival-type event, opened at Liberty Fair Mall, but attendance was low due to rain. The event was sponsored by the Martinsville fire, police and sheriff’s departments to raise money for their benevolent funds. The fair was held Tuesday through Sunday.
APRIL 25 100 Years ago – 1926
Work had begun on the installation of a modern, up-to-date fire escape system on the three-story Masonic Temple of Martinsville. It was done by Roanoke Iron Works.
75 years ago – 1951
Members of the Past Noble Grand Club included Gladys Brown, Mrs. Obie Nunn, Mrs. Carroll Bryant, Mrs. George Harrison, Mrs. Jimmy Mullins, Mrs. Coy Frith, Mrs. Bennie Eanes, Mrs. Divers Brown, Mrs. Arthur Ellis, Mrs. Dillard Carter, Mrs. William Harris, Mrs. Talmadge Thornton, Miss Vieva Snead, Miss Emily Turner and Miss Ann Crouch.
50 years ago – 1976
A grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce funded improvement on the trails at Fairy Stone State Park. The work was done by 18 local people including Gary Mabe and Dewey Whorley.
25 years ago - 2001
The houses open for the Historic Garden Week tour were that of Mimi Riggan at 1006 Sheraton Court; Dr. and Mrs. David McConnell at 1022 Mulberry Road; and Dr. and Mrs. Rebecca Crabtree at 1100 Mulberry Road. Tickets to all three cost $10, or single house admission cost $4. Lunch was served at Chatmoss Country Club for $10. Beth Sibbick was the tour chair and Donna Lawhon was the co-chair.
APRIL 26 100 Years ago – 1926
Member of the Blue Ridge Lodge, No. 30, Sons and Daughters of Liberty entertained formally at a supper in their lodge rooms in the Masonic Temple. Their guests were from the Worth Bagley Lodge No. 15 and Olive Branch Lodge No. 25, both of Danville, along with some state Masonic officers. Mr. P.S. Ford and Miss Julia Carter were heads of the committee which organized the affair.
75 years ago – 1951
Fourteen men were convicted and three men were fined in County Trial Justice Court resulting from a raid of a chicken fight in Boxwood on March 24. George Muscoe Barker of Axton, accused of operating the establishment, was fined $500, and Joseph E. Bailey of Leaksville was fined $400 under accusation of being in charge of the March 24 fight program.
50 years ago – 1976
A.L. “Dutch” Schilbe was the last independent auto licensing agent for the city and the county, and woud be until autumn. The Department of Motor Vehicles was set to open a full branch on Broad Street in the fall of 1976. Until it did, the DMV sold state license plates through an independent contractor, paying him a fixed percentage of each plate fee. The new branch would be connected directly to the computers at the DMV office in Richmond, which meant that some transactions which took days to process, such as those involving titles and registrations, could be completed in seconds. Schilbe first started doing the work on Public Square in 1952, when he took over from John Matthews, who left to run for clerk of court. Two years later, Schilbe move to offices in the Lester Group office complex.
25 years ago - 2001
The Henry County Board of Zoning Appeals had just approved a permit application from Time Out Sports Bar and Grill for dancing and Sportlanes on Koehler Road also had a permit application pending for dancing. After shooting incidents at the Best Western and El Imperial in February, Henry County Sheriff H. Frank Cassell had begun enforcing a law that required establishments to get special use permits before dancing could take place in public places.
APRIL 27 100 Years ago – 1926
Dr. M.E. Hundley of Lucy Lester Hospital set sail for Europe to attend several sessions of the North America Medical Association during clinics that were held in Europe’s main cities. The trip was organized by Dr. Carl Beck of Chicago and the Mayo Brothers of Rochester, Minn., and was attended by 350 physicians.
75 years ago – 1951
A headlight on Hugh Barrow’s 1940 Ford coupe was stolen while the car was parked in the city parking lot.
50 years ago – 1976
The Henry County Board of Supervisors voted to eliminate the county building inspector job from the 1976-77 budget. That move would reduce the department’s staff from five to four people, including clerical staff. The inspector who would be out of a job was Gerald “Jake” Doyle. The board then appointed one of Doyle’s three assistants, Randolph Lester, as the new building inspector. Meanwhile, the Board of Supervisors voted in raises, including: Commissioner of Revenue E.J. “Bud” Philpott, $16,821 ($95,162 in today’s dollars), Treasurer Donald Turner, $15,862 ($89,735), Sheriff C.P. Witt, $15,714 ($88,898) and Commonwealth’s Attorney Roscoe Reynolds, $18,695 ($105,762).
25 years ago - 2001
The TGIF concert season opened with a performance by Cory Brammer & 32 Leaves. The band was Cory Brammer, 15, lead electric guitar; Joe Henry, bass guitar and vocals; David “Hollywood” Brown on drums and vocals; and Phil Norman on acoustic guitar and vocals. The concert series was sponsored by the Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association and was held in the Bridge Street parking lot. Admission was $3 for adults and $2 for children.
The Fieldale Fire Department held a dance from 7:30-10:30 p.m. with music by Lucky City Playboys.
APRIL 28 100 Years ago – 1926
Miss Mary Stephens’ kindergarten class presented a pageant representing each season of the year, on the lawn of Mr. Rives S. Brown on Church Street. Those on the program were: May Queen, Gladys Ann Shumate; Winged Spirit, Rives Brown Jr.; Page, Harry Byrd Jr.; Autumn Leaves, Helen McIndo and Virginia Stone; Snow Flakes, Patsy Brown, Helen Schottland and Pat Bradford; Spring Jonquils, Purnell Schottland; Butterflies, Mary Jane Roberts and Thelma Lipford; Summer Roses, Margaret Schottland and Frances Schottland; and Bumblebee, Clyde Hooker Jr.
75 years ago – 1951
Mrs. Homer Robertson of Preston was the winner of the television set given away at the final night of the Martinsville Department’s first annual bazaar. In 1951 less than 10% of households had a television. The average price of a television then was between $300 and $400 ($3,500 to $4,600 in today’s money) – and the screens were black and white and between 14 to 21 inches.
50 years ago – 1976
Two local houses were open for Historic Garden Week: the late 18th century Regency modified design home of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Lester at 1001 Cherokee Trail, and the modified Georgian-style home of Mrs. H. Kenneth Whitener at 807 Parkview Ave. At her house, tea was served on the terrace to visitors.
25 years ago - 2001
The Rangeley Ruritan Club held a ham & egg breakfast. The Men’s Fellowship of Bassett Church of the Brethren held a country breakfast with sausage, biscuit, pancakes, eggs and gravy for $4.
The Rogues performed at Best Western from 8 p.m. to midnight. Patrons were urged to come early or call for reservations.
APRIL 29 100 Years ago – 1926
In Martinsville at a bond election, 503 voted in favor and 10 voted against the issuance of $200,000 ($3,638,000 today) worth of Martinsville bonds, $70,000 for an additional water supply and $130,000 for street paving.
75 years ago – 1951
At the annual meeting of the Martinsville Council of Religious Education, officers and directors were elected. They were: John Kirk Adams, Whitney Shumate, M.B. Jennings, Mrs. E.A. Sale, James F. Hodnett, Lawson Dyer, Claude Taylor Jr., William F. Franck Jr., Jesse D. Clift, Mrs. Don Hartford, Irving Ramsey, Miss Pocahontas Wray, J.R. Kirk, Tarleton Andes, A.D. Hodges, W.R. Ricketss, Mrs. Pearl Spencer and Norman Mahon. The group coordinated the religious classes taught in city schools to students in the third through seventh grade.
50 years ago – 1976
Astrological signs were particularly important in the 1970s, and Globman’s did not miss out. It sold the Jeane Dixon line of jewelry with zodiac signs: an adjustable ring, bracelet and pendant on 18-inch chain, for $7.50 each ($42 in today’s money). The jewelry was designed for Jeane Dixon by Hattie Carnegie. In the Globman’s bookstore one could purchase Jeanne Dixon’s hit book, “Yesterday, Today, and Forever – How astrology can help you find your place in God’s plan.”
Troxler Furniture at 26 Fayette St. celebrated its Grand Opening from April 29 through May 1.
25 years ago - 2001
Lou Parker opened Kings Mountain Salon at 5006 Kings Mountain Road in Collinsville. Teresa Dula and Phyllis Carr worked there.
APRIL 30 100 Years ago – 1926
Roberts Drug Company on the corner of Church and Walnut streets advertised gifts for graduates: leather goods, perfume sets, dresser sets, dorines (makeup compacts), fine candy, fountain pens, pen and pencil sets, memory books, stationery, billfolds, Bibles and flowers.
75 years ago – 1951
Miss Frances Dee Turner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hosea Turner of Spencer, was crowned Miss Spencer Penn at the Spencer Penn High School’s annual beauty pageant.
50 years ago – 1976
The City of Martinsville was planning to demolish the buildings in the city block bounded by Main, Church, Bridge and Walnut streets, under the Central Business District Commission plan, with the idea of putting a mall area there instead. This was shortly after the City had bought and demolished the buildings on the next block over – the one which is now the parking lot between the post office and the MHC Heritage Museum (former Henry County Courthouse). However, there wasn’t enough money to buy those buildings, so the DBC Commission’s finance committee planned to look into the feasibility of renovating those buildings instead. The buildings on that block included the Holt Building (now home to the Ground Floor coffee shop), Kolodny’s next to the Holt building. City Finance Loans & Small Loans next to that, the corner building which now houses the Armstrong law firm, a storefront which now houses the city’s prosecutors office; the stately First National Bank building, the orange and white building, the building that now has Ma’s Cakes and a real estate office.
The newly renovated grounds of the Henry County Courthouse were dedicated. The design featured a square lawn (with garden area with tulips in the middle), surrounded by a square of wide brick sidewalks. On each outside side of the sidewalks was a cannon on a brick pedestal, close to the building, pointing toward the road. About 50 people attended the ceremony.
25 years ago - 2001
The plants in the islands of the parking lot at Martinsville Middle School were planted by the school’s Beta Club members, with help from Gateway Streetscape Foundation.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.